The Spark Of A Fire
by mle199
Summary: When Percy saves a new, mysterious girl from a dark creature, his life is changed forever. When a Prophecy is made, this new girl is chosen to lead the quest to find the key that could possibly save the world as we know it. Percy/OC
1. I Meet The Girl Of My Dreams, Literally

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, movies, series, or anything else related to it. I also do not own Alice in Wonderland.

**Author's Note: **Hello there! So if you're reading this, you have either just stumbled upon this story by chance, or you have this story under your alerts, or you were redirected here from the original sequel. If you are one of the last two options and haven't seen the explanation, I suggest you go over to "Drop in the Ocean" and read it over there. Pretty much, I didn't like how that story was going, but got a wonderful (well, at least I think) idea for how this story could be made better. So it takes place the summer after the third book, _instead_ of the fourth book, and will lead right into the war. I hope you like it, and don't forget to leave a review!**  
**

**Chapter One**  
**I Meet The Girl Of My Dreams, Literally**

_"Please! Someone help me!" someone screamed. I looked all around until my eyes landed on a girl who was around my age - about sixteen. She had straight blonde hair that fell a few inches past her shoulders, but was a little messy, as if she had just woken up. She had piercing light green eyes ringed in red, and the palest skin I had ever seen on a living person. She was really tiny, only a couple inches taller than five feet and had a slim figure that was really toned. She was only wearing a short, silky nightie and a pair of slippers on her bare feet._

_I didn't know for sure, but I felt like this wasn't a dream - well, at least not my dream. I think it was someone else's nightmare..._

_"Get away from me!" When I looked back at the girl, a dark, murky shadow was surrounding her from every direction and large cuts were appearing and disappearing on any visible section of skin. She was trying to fight off this strange force but she was trying to do it without any weapon. All she had to fight with was her body, but the shadow seemed to be overtaking her and draining her energy fast._

_As this was happening, I noticed something. Around her neck was a shining gold necklace with a sun charm hanging from the center of it. The sun itself was gold, but the center of it was made of a sparkling white jewel. The strange thing was, as she was attacked more and more, it started turning a dull green color._

_"Back off!" I yelled as I unsheathed Riptide, which had somehow appeared in my hands. I pointed Riptide at the shadow creature and hissed at me before dissolving in mid-air. She looked down for a moment, blinking in surprise before she fainted, falling to the ground in a heap. _

_She slowly opened her eyes and when they met with mine, I thought my heart would stop working. She was _beautiful_. I didn't know what to do with myself, and I was suddenly self-conscious of how I looked and of how awkward I was. "Are you okay?" I finally managed to ask her._

_"No one's ever saved me before," she mumbled softly, occasionally closing her eyes as if she was falling back asleep. "No one's ever been able to get through the barrier."_

_"What barrier?" I asked and she pointed behind me to the large, black metal gate that looked like something that would be guarding a mansion. When I looked closer, I was able to see a large, old-fashioned lock holding the gates shut. "What's your name?"_

_"Andee le Fay," she told me quietly, continuing to gaze in my eyes. She sat up, clearly using a lot of what little energy she had left, but somehow never broke eye contact with me._

_"I'm Percy, Percy Jackson," I introduced, unable to help the smile that was continuously growing on my face._

_"Well, Percy Jackson, you are my hero," she said softly, smiling back at me. I don't know what came over me, but I pushed a stray strand of her hair behind her ear and leaned forward, gently pressing my lips against hers. _

_She seemed a little shocked at first but responded back only a few seconds later. She wrapped her hands in my hair as I put one hand on her hip to bring her as close to me as possible, while my other hand cupped her cheek. It was getting pretty heated but neither of us seemed to care. All I knew was that I wanted to be able to hold her._

"Percy, wake up! You're going to be late for your last day of school!" my mom called into my room and I groaned, desperately wanting to go back to sleep and continue with that...whatever it was. "Now!"

"Okay, mom!" I called back to her as I heaved my body out of bed and shuffled into the bathroom. I sighed as I looked into the mirror, running a hand through my messy hair.

That had to be real - there was no wait it all could have been just a dream. But as I let it float around in my head, that's all it really could be - a dream. A simple, yet very awesome dream.

But when I looked at my reflection even closer, I realized that maybe it wasn't a dream after all. My hair was even messier than normal, and my lips were really red and a little swollen. Maybe all of it had actually been real - including the girl.

I brushed my teeth and attempted to brush out my hair before throwing on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. But no matter what I did, I couldn't get that girl out of my head. I walked out to the kitchen where my mom had a plate of blue pancakes waiting for me. She only did that when it was a special occasion, so something was definitely going on. "Blue pancakes?"

"Well, it's your last day of school and you've made it through the whole year without any...interruptions. I'm just so proud of you!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug before I could start eating.

With my mom, getting through a whole school year was definitely a big deal to her. Ever since I started school when I was five, I had been kicked out of eleven schools. That's a lot for one kid. And it had really taken its toll on my mom - and I knew that - so I guess this made her really happy.

"Thanks mom," I said through a mouthful of food. She gave me a reproachful look for such an impolite action, but it was replaced with a smile only moments later. I felt her watching me a few minutes later and looked up. "What?"

"Are you feeling okay, Percy?"

"I don't know - I'm just a little confused, I guess," I told her honestly. "I had a dream last night...well, I don't know if it was really a dream...or if I was the one to have it..."

"Was it a dream or a _dream_?" my mom asked, looking cautious. Half-bloods like myself had a special kind of dream every once in awhile that warned them about something that was happening or would be happening in the near future, but I was positive that this wasn't that kind of a dream.

"I don't know - it wasn't really either of them. It felt like I was in someone else's dream," I explained.

"Well, there's no use in worrying about that right now. I'm driving you and Grover to camp right after school so you can ask Chiron about it when you get there, all right?" she assured me and I nodded, although I wasn't sure if I would be able to get her out of my head.

I grabbed my backpack from beside the door and slung it over one shoulder while the duffel bag containing everything I'd need for camp was hanging from the other shoulder. I stuffed everything into the backseat of my mom's car before hopping into the passenger seat. We arrived at the school a few minutes later.

"Have a good day, Percy," my mom said as I pecked her on the cheek. "And try not to think about the dream so much, okay?"

I nodded in response before taking my bags out of the backseat and walking through the front doors of the school. I headed downstairs and shoved everything inside my locker except for my backpack.

"We're supposed to go to the auditorium right away," Grover said, appearing out of nowhere. "Apparently some school is doing a performance for us."

"If it gets us out of class, it's fine with me," I replied, leaving all my books behind. I walked with Grover to the auditorium where all of our school's auditorium where all of our school assemblies are held. It took a while to navigate our way to our seats between all of the kids pushing us out of the way and having to help Grover back up because of his crutches, but we eventually got two in the very front row.

Everyone around us was talking extremely loud, each person trying to hear their own conversations over the next person's. I decided that this would probably be the best opportunity to tell Grover what happened.

"I honestly don't know what to tell you," Grover said, flabbergasted by all of it. "I've never even heard of something like that happening before. You were in her dream - that's for sure - so what was happening was probably real, on some level. If you could see her in real life while it was happening, you'd be able to tell if it was real or not because you'd see the cuts appearing and disappearing. The barrier is probably just the barrier that blocks people out of her mind - everyone has one but most people's are pretty easy to get through. But I can't even begin to tell you what that shadow-thing is."

"So in other words," I started, "you have no idea what's going on?"

"Not a clue," he shrugged. "But I do recognize the girl's name - Andee le Fay. I can't remember where it's from but I've definitely heard of her before." Our school's principal walked up to the podium that was set up on the far side of the stage.

"Welcome students. Today we have a very special performance by the Vancouver High School for the Performing Arts - a high school all the way from British Columbia - and here is their principal, my good friend, Ms. Katarina Daviau, to tell you all about it. Let's give her a warm welcome!"

Everyone clapped as a tall lady with dark hair and horn-rimmed glasses walked onto the stage. "Hello everyone. I am very honored that our school was invited to perform for all of you. These students have worked very hard on the following show and are all very excited to show you their talents. This following performance is the interpretations of the students acting out this classic story. So here is the Vancouver High School for the Performing Arts' production of Alice in Wonderland: The Musical!"

Our school applauded once more before the lights were dimmed. The curtains opened to reveal a stage lit up with blue lights and a set that looked like a garden. A girl was sitting in the middle of the stage, her feet tucked underneath her. She was wearing tall white high-heeled boots on her feet. Her dress was light blue and shimmery with silver bell sleeves, and while the dress was short in the front, it reached the floor at the back. The dress had a silver, square neckline and a high collar that had a black bow tied around it.

She had curly, golden blonde hair that fell a few inches past her shoulders, and her bangs were swept off to the side. She had a light blue ribbon tied in a bow in her hair. Her skin was pale and her lips were a sparkly, pale pink. She had these light green, piercing eyes that were visible even from the audience. They were surrounded by light blue and white eyeshadow, giving it any icy effect.

"That's her! That's the girl!" I hissed at Grover who looked over and seemed to be observing her carefully. His eyes widened.

"Percy," Grover said, his voice shaky, "do you have any idea who that is?"

"Yeah, it's Andee le Fay, the girl from the dream," I said. It seemed pretty obvious who she was, seeing that I _just_ told him.

"You really have no clue," Grover muttered, looking a bit frustrated with me. Soft piano music started playing in the background and she sang along with it. It was a song about wanting her childhood back and pretending, and she looked truly sad. The song ended and she sighed, looking around the stage.

"If only I had some company," she sighed before someone dressed up as the White Rabbit came hopping out from backstage. "A rabbit in a waistcoat holding a pocket watch...how can that possibly be?" She scrambled to stand up. "Excuse me, Mr. Rabbit -"

"I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date! No time to say hello, goodbye, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" the rabbit sang before running off the stage and through the audience.

"Wait! Where are you going?" she called after him before chasing after him. She ran off the stage and was about to run up the aisle when she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes meeting mine.

I felt my heart start beating about ten times quicker as she gazed into my eyes, her lips slightly parted. This was the girl from the dream. Standing right in front of me and so close that I could touch her. She touched her lips before her cheeks turned bright red. She suddenly snapped back to reality and went chasing after the rabbit.

The rest of the show went much smoother, and it was really funny! There were all different types of music, dancing, jokes (including some pretty inappropriate ones that everyone laughed at) and the actors would even come down and interact with the audience. The best part was that all throughout the show, she would glance over at me and her cheeks would turn the same shade of fire engine red every time.

I didn't know what was happening to me, but every time she looked at me, my heart would start to pound so hard that I thought everyone around me could hear it. At the end of the show, when they all came out to do their bows, Andee got her own separate bow for playing Alice. She then received a bouquet of flowers because she had written and taught all of the music for the show, as well as designing and sewing the costumes.

After a standing ovation, both principals went up to the podium that had been brought back on the stage, informing us that a question and answer portion would be starting immediately. Stools were brought out for all the actors and they all took seats. A few of the actors had microphones that I assumed they'd be handing to each other if necessary.

A lot of questions were asking about the show or asking one of the actors to sing a popular song or do a dance. That's when someone raised their hand, wanting to ask Andee a question.

"Are you single?" he stood up and asked, making everyone laugh, including her. When I looked her, I saw Kevin, our school's star football player standing there. He was also one of the biggest jerks I had ever met, but it seemed that all the girls at this school couldn't get enough of him.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am single," she stated, a small smile on her face when she said it.

"Wanna go out with me?" he asked and she turned bright red, her fellow cast members chuckling at her and whispering things to her.

"Actually, I don't date - sorry to disappoint," she said and I heard a few people groan in the audience. I guess Kevin wasn't the only person thinking of asking her out.

"Why not?" he persisted.

"Personal reasons," she stated simply, not going into any more detail than that.

"Grover, how do you know her?" I asked, the thought suddenly occurring to me. He raised an eyebrow at me, as if to ask if I was serious.

"How do you _not_ know her?" Grover questioned in return. "She's practically a legend. She's Apollo's daughter."

"So she's a half-blood?" I asked slowly, trying to understand what he was getting at.

"Not just any half-blood. You know how Olympus is over the United States now, right?" I nodded. "Well, that means it's not in Canada, where Andee's from. There has never, in history, been a Canadian half-blood until she was born. She's also Apollo's daughter...Apollo's only daughter...ever. And to add on to all of that, she's actually a three-quarter blood."

"How does that work?" I asked and he looked at me again with a raised eyebrow, as if to ask me if I was really this stupid, or just acting this way.

"How can you not know any of this? She's practically famous among half-bloods!" Grover exclaimed. "She's Zeus's granddaughter. Her mom was a half-blood as well, and a daughter of Zeus. She's got all these additional powers and she isn't dyslexic or ADHD like other half-bloods. Now are you certain you were in _her _dream?"

"Yes, I'm sure. She told me herself that her name was Andee le Fay," I informed him. "Trust me, Grover; I could never forget a face like that even if I tried."

The lunch bell rang and the principal made one last announcement saying that all the actors and stage crew would be joining us in our afternoon classes. Everyone began filing out, but I decided to go see her, even though I knew Grover was against it.

"Percy, think this through. She is _Zeus's granddaughter_ with whom he is very close to. He doesn't like you to begin with, so I highly doubt he'd like you trying to put the moves on her," Grover tried to convince me but I continued to ignore him.

She was standing in a group of people with her back turned to me, talking animatedly with lots of hand gestures. Just before I got to her, she walked off quickly with her friends, not even glancing back.

"See?" Grover asked. "That's the Fates working. Not meant to be."

I ignored him. I looked for her in my classes after lunch, but she wasn't there. It sucked before I was hoping I would get a chance to talk to her.

I had PE last and after changing into my gym strip, I went into the gymnasium to join the rest of my class. Since Grover had a note excusing him from gym for the rest of his life, he got a spare instead but just spend the time in the gym with me - just in case there were any attacks and we needed to make a quick getaway. You'd be surprised how many times it's happened already.

The normal class was here but I didn't see any of the students from the school in Canada. Just when I thought I wasn't going to see any of them, a large group of the actors walked in, changed into their own mismatching P.E. strip.

Then I saw her again, this time much more natural, like she had been the dream, just with the same curly hair from earlier. This time, however, she was wearing a pair of black shorts which were probably the shortest shorts I had ever seen but accentuated her butt quite nicely, a gold tank top and a pair of gold running shoes.

I had a feeling she liked the color gold.

But this time when I saw her necklace, it was pure white, changing colors only when it caught the light, like most jewels did.

She glanced over at me and quickly turned away, just as I put my hand up to wave at her.

"You have got it bad for her," Grover said sympathetically. "Zeus won't like it, you know - I'm sure Apollo won't be too fond if the whole idea either."

"It doesn't matter," I said offhandedly. Grover groaned and shook his head, obviously thinking that I was getting into something that I really shouldn't. Well, what did he know anyways?

"Today, class and visitors, we're going to do a little end of the year obstacle course! Doesn't that sound like fun?" There were a few unenthusiastic moans and one, loud cheer coming from Andee.

Everyone turned to her and she smiled sheepishly. "What? I've always wanted to do an obstacle course," she explained.

"Let's head outside!" the PE teacher shouted and everyone followed behind him. On the football field, the staff had set up a huge obstacle course that looked like it could only be done by someone who was in the military. And even they would have trouble with it. "Girls against guys! Pair up with someone you want to go against and let's get started!"

"Hey there, wanna partner up?" Kevin asked Andee. Yeah, that seemed totally fair. The skinny, blonde girl against a huge, muscley jock who was probably on all different kinds of steroids. Oh yeah, very fair.

I ended up being one of the guys who didn't get a partner and would have to go with one of the girls who wanted to go again. Andee and Kevin were in the middle of the line. When everyone ahead of them had gone, they both geared up to go.

"Maybe after I crush you I can take you out on a date," he said to her as they both stretched to get ready to do the course. A few people gasped while others looked on to see what would happen.

"You wish," Andee said, a ghost of a smirk playing on her lips.

The coach blew his whistle and they both took off. All of the girls that had been with Andee all day were cheering her on loudly, screaming at the top of their lungs.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing - Andee was beating Kevin by a landslide, and she was doing it without breaking a sweat. Kevin suddenly realized what was happening and tried to speed up, but was still way behind her. It was amazing to see how fast she was going, especially when she quickly got through all the tires and crossed the line of cones that was the finish line. She ran back around as all of her friends cheered her on, and most of the guys laughed at Kevin, who just shoved them all aside angrily.

Andee bent over, making a big show of catching her breath, when really, she was making herself breathe really fast so that it'd seem like she was panting and at the same time, making her face go flushed.

"Good job," I commented as she came back to the end of the line to stand beside me. "Kevin needed a good kick to the ego."

"Apparently so do you, son of Poseidon," Andee said, giving me an impressed look. "Hopefully you'll at least be able to prove yourself. I mean, you are a demigod after all."

I smirked a little. "Trust me; I don't think it will be a problem." I had had a lot of training at Camp Half-Blood with these sorts of things, so I knew I ran a good chance of beating her. And knowing that she hadn't gone to Camp like I had, I had a feeling it was going to be a lot easier than I anticipated.

"Whatever you want to think," she said offhandedly as we reached the front of the line.

"Jackson! Blondie! You're up!" the coach yelled and we both went to the starting line. We both crouched down and got into starting positions when she flashed a dazzling smile at me and took off. I was so distracted by this gesture that I hadn't even noticed that the race had started until my PE teacher started yelling at me to go.

She was already way ahead of me but somehow I managed to catch up. She grinned before speeding up, as if she had just been waiting to prove how much faster and better at this she was. She beat me in a landslide and I was starting to feel a little embarrassed for myself for getting so cocky.

She just walked past me, a knowing look in her eyes as she joined her friends who were all congratulating her. With one last look at me, she turned back to her friends and walked back up to the school once everyone was dismissed to go change.

When everyone was dressed again, they all hung around in the hallway outside of the gym. Andee was the easiest person to spot with her bright hair. Now she was in a beige t-shirt, a pair of jean shorts, a sheer cardigan, and a gold striped scarf was tied around her neck. She also had a pair of suede moccasins on her feet and was carrying a black leather shoulder bag.

"You know," Andee said as she walked up to me and Grover, "for someone who has half the blood of a god, and one of the most powerful ones at that, you'd never be able to tell."

I glanced over at Grover, who just shrugged. "I don't think I know what you mean..."

She looked at me before rolling her eyes. "The obstacle course. How incredibly easy it was for me to beat you. Such a waste of power, don't you think?"

"Well I don't know, I don't really think -"

"You don't really think that our enhanced speed, agility, strength, and senses have anything to do with our godly blood? Or is it just that you didn't know we had those things?" she inquired. I stayed silent because it was the second option. The funny thing was that, even though she was being a total bitch, I still found her incredibly attractive. Maybe it was because I knew this wasn't how she was really like. "Well?"

I was saved from having to answer by the bell ringing and her storming out of the door. I ran after her, hoping that Grover would follow. "Do you want to go to Camp Half-Blood with us?"

She turned and stared at me for a few seconds before her eyes softened a little. "You're the son of Poseidon, and my grandfather is Zeus. The two of us don't exactly go together. I think it would be better for both of us if we stayed as far away from each other as we possibly can," she said, about to turn around again when I grabbed her wrist.

She faced me and held up her wrist, sending a few volts through her wrist and into my hand, making me let go. I shook my hand, trying to get rid of the stinging feeling. "I don't know what's going on with you, but in case you can't remember, we kissed. A lot."

Andee's eyes turned hard again. "That was just a stupid dream that you happened to pop into. It was nothing more than a dream."

She went to turn away. "If it was only a dream, how did we both have the same one?"

She whirled back around, her eyes blazing now as the sky became stormy. "You have no idea what you're talking about or what's going on, okay? And you're really not making things better for yourself."

"Come to Camp then. Well, if you want your dagger back," I said, holding up the celestial bronze dagger I had snagged from her when she was busy trying to electrocute me.

"How dare you," Andee said slowly, glaring at me. "Don't you realize that I have no need for some silly little summer training camp? I finished my training before I turned twelve years old, so I highly doubt that your little camp can do me any good."

"You may not need the camp," I said, approaching her even closer, "but we need you. In case you haven't realized, there's a war coming and we need all the help we can get."

Andee stared me down for a few seconds before saying, "Fine, but I'm only going so I can get my dagger back."


	2. Andee Has A Vision About Giant Cows

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, series, characters, movies, or anything else related to it.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! So if you're just getting the notification about this now, it means that you are just finding out about my decision. And if you are, go back to Chapter One for the brief description, or the last chapter on Drop In The Ocean for a more detailed version. I know it seems like I'm just making more work for myself, and I am, but I'm really excited for it and already have fifteen chapters written :D So enjoy, review, and favorite!

**Chapter Two**  
**Andee Has A Vision About Giant Cows**

We got to my car and my mom gave me a look, clearly asking who the girl with me was. "Andee, this is my mom, and mom, this is Andee le Fay. You don't mind if she catches a ride with us, do you?"

"I thought I was taking you to camp," my mom stated, giving me a look that clearly told me that she wasn't comfortable having a mortal in the car on the way to camp.

"Well, Mrs. Jackson, the thing is, I'm a demigod like your son, so he sees fit to kidnap me and drag me to this camp against my will," Andee said, smiling innocently at my mother.

"She's joking," I said, giving Andee a hard look.

"Well in that case, hope in, Andee," my mom said and Andee thanked her quietly and slid into the backseat with Grover. My mom popped the trunk open so I could put all of my stuff for camp in it. Once I did that, I sat down in the passenger seat.

"Do up your seatbelt, Percy," Andee and my mom said in unison. I looked at them both as my mom looked at Andee strangely, clearly wondering how she knew what my mother was going to say.

"Sorry, I do that sometimes," Andee mumbled, bringing her legs onto the car seat so she could sit cross-legged. "But you really should do up your seatbelt, Percy."

"I really don't think it will matter in the long run," I shot back at her.

"Actually, it could be the very thing that saved you from dying - trust me, I know this from first hand experience. But, it's your life, so whatever," she said and I sighed, folding under her pressure and buckling my seatbelt. She glanced up at the sound and smirked.

My mom started driving and I watched from the side mirror as Andee swung her bag onto her lap. She opened it and stuck her arms in, obviously trying to find something. She ended up sticking her whole head in the bag, trying to find whatever she was looking for. The bag was practically swallowing her, making me wonder how big it really was. "It's a magic item - it's much bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside. My dad gave it to me."

"How did you know -"

"I just know things," she said simply, pulling a few miscellaneous objects out of her bag. The first thing she took out was a golden bow with engravings all over it, and matching golden arrows in an over-the-shoulder carrying case. The last thing she took out was a book with a black cover that had her name written on the front in fancy, gold cursive.

"You're an archer?" I asked as she began to arm herself, slinging the arrows and the bow over her shoulders.

She gave me a look. "I'm the daughter of Apollo, what was your first clue?"

"But then why do you have a dagger too?"

"So that when people attack me or try to force me to do things I don't want to do, much like what happened today, I have something to defend myself with," Andee said, attempting to get me to shut up.

"So Andee, who's your godly parent?" my mom asked, already trying to play the peacekeeper, although I had a strange feeling that my mom liked her. Otherwise she wouldn't start asking questions.

"Apollo, and my grandpa is Zeus," Andee said casually. My mom's reaction was priceless.

"So you're not an ordinary half-blood, I take it?" my mom asked.

"Technically I'm as three-quarter blood," Andee answered.

"And you've never been to camp?"

"My aunt trained me back home because there weren't very many monsters - there were always a few, but not nearly as many as there probably are here in New York," Andee answered before reaching over and grabbing the book, sketching inside as she hummed quietly to herself. I glanced back and noticed a lot of color on the page, and that it actually looked a bit like a comic book. I looked at bit closer and saw that it was a blonde superhero dressed in a black, vinyl catsuit, gold high-heeled boots, a gold mask, and a matching cape. The superhero in the book was doing all sorts of things, like fighting villains and monsters.

All of a sudden, she began to blink rapidly before shaking her head slightly. She looked down at the page and her eyes widened. "_Di immortales_!"

"What's the matter?" I asked, twisting around in my seat as she looked around frantically. I happened to catch a glance of her drawing right before she slammed the book shut. There was a picture depicting three minotaurs attacking the blonde superhero, as well as some other hero that was in a lot of blue and green.

"Monsters. Right outside," she mumbled distractedly, shoving it into her bag. She looked around the car before quickly unrolling one of the windows and started climbing out. "Well, get up here. Jackson!"

She hoisted herself up and disappeared on the top of the roof. I climbed up as well and nearly had a heart attack when I saw that her picture had been completely accurate - we were being attacked by three minotaurs. Which meant that I must be the superhero in blue and green...

Grover poked his head out and freaked out, ducking back inside immediately. Andee swung over, leaning her body down the driver's side of the car, saying something to my mom as I got out my sword. She came back and I was about to start attacking when she swung her arm out in front of me.

"Always wait for them to attack first," she said calmly, preparing her bow and arrow, getting her body into perfect defensive form. She closed one eye and scrunched her face a little as she focused on her target. So we stood on top of a speeding car, trying to keep our balance as we waited to be attacked by three giant, brutal, vicious monsters. Yup, this is exactly how I imagined my afternoon would go.

The sad thing is that I'm not even being sarcastic.

One of the minotaurs roared loudly, obviously threatening us. Andee looked over at me before calmly saying, "Now." She shot an arrow at one and hit it right where its heart would be before it evaporated in a gold mist. The other two roared in anger at the loss of their brother, friend, or whatever, and dived at us. Luckily we both rolled onto the road in time, leaving the two minotaurs to slam against the car, leaving two _huge_ indents in the roof.

We were both fighting one, neither of us more successful than the other. All of a sudden I heard cheering and saw that Andee was riding on the neck of the minotaur that she was supposed to be battle. She grabbed one of her arrows and stabbed the minotaur in the side of the head, letting it turn into dust underneath her.

She fell to the ground and I could hear a thud, followed by a sickening series of cracks, and when I looked over at her, her limbs were jutting out in weird ways that I knew couldn't be natural. But she somehow managed to push herself up into a sitting position and start putting each bone back into place. She grimaced at each bone being reconnected, giving a little gasp of pain each time.

I was so astonished by this that I had completely forgotten about the minotaur that I was supposed to be fighting.

"Percy! Watch out!" Andee yelled and I quickly dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way before hopping back to my feet and stabbing the minotaur in the leg, watching it explode into a shower of gold dust, just like the other did. "Told you we would be attacked. Maybe next time you can give me my dagger back before we start fighting." I tossed the knife back to her and she caught it in her hand, quickly tucking it into the waist of her shorts. "Now go - I'll make sure the coast is clear. Tell your mom to keep driving once you're in the car."

"Not without you."

"Trust me, I'll be able to catch up. I just have to make sure it's safe," she said and I nodded cautiously, not sure if this was such a good idea. "Just go already, I'll be fine."

I jogged over to the car and told me mom and Grover what Andee had told me to tell them. My mom stepped on the gas, going a lot faster than she had ever gone before. I twisted in my seat once more to see if Andee was following, but she was nowhere in sight.

What if she wasn't okay after all? What if more monsters had appeared and were attacking her and she couldn't fight them all of? What if she was _dead_?

That's when I saw her sprinting towards the car and jumped, landing on the top of the car with a thud, and throwing herself through the window, landing in her seat, looking as if she had never left it. "Well, that was fun."

We arrived at Half-Blood Hill in one piece several minutes later and piled out of the car. I said a quick goodbye to my mom, promising to IM her every few weeks to check in before Grover and I showed Andee the way to Camp Half-Blood and to the Big House where Chiron liked to talk to all of the new campers. I knocked on the door and he came out in full centaur form as Andee wandered around the front porch, taking in everything.

"Welcome back, Percy and Grover. Am I to assume your journey was alright?"

"Well, if we don't count the three minotaurs that attacked us on the way here, I'd have to say it wasn't half bad," I informed him and he smiled in response before his eyes landed on Andee.

"Andee! What a surprise to see you here," Chiron said, snapping her attention back to the conversation.

"It's a surprise to me too, seeing as how I was practically _kidnapped_ and then forced to fight minotaurs to save their asses," Andee said, folding her arms over her chest. "But it's good to see you, Chiron."

He smiled. "It is good to see you as well, Andee. I think the best idea would be if you used your normal training schedule, instead of the camp's. How does that sound?"

"Lovely."

"Excellent. Now, I think Percy here can give you a tour of the grounds, correct?" Chiron asked and I nodded. "Excellent. Don't forget to show her to her cabin - it's been requested that she stay in her grandfather's cabin."

"Can't somebody else give me the tour?" Andee begged. "I mean, what about Grover? I like Grover."

"Percy will give you the tour, Andee," Chiron said strictly, giving her a look and she sighed, running a hand through her hair agitatedly.

"Fine."

I lead Emily around the camp grounds, giving her running commentary as I did so. I showed her the volleyball courts, the Big House, the infirmary, the strawberry fields, the armory, the stables, the arena, the arts and crafts area, the canoe lake, the amphitheatre, the climbing wall, the mess hall, and then finally, the cabins.

"So these are the cabins and they're arranged like the thrones -"

"- in Olympus," Andee finished, looking at them all. "I've been to Olympus more times than I can count."

Each cabin had a lot of different details to differentiate them from the others. Each cabin was big and open with glass doors and large glass windows that had curtains that you could pull over each window for privacy. Every cabin had a porch by the doors and there was a different banner hanging from each one, depending on which cabin it was. And the color schemes depended on which god the cabin was based on.

So I pointed out each one to her before showing her the Zeus cabin - the cabin she'd be staying in. "So this is all mine?" she asked, sounding impressed by it all. I nodded. She walked into it, going inside and I stayed in the doorway, watching her from there.

She stood in the middle of the room, looking around before diving onto one of the beds, lying across it spread-eagled. "This is _so_ comfy," she exclaimed, moaning when she said the word "so". I felt my face get really warm when she did that. She jumped back up and went running around the room, running her hands over the desk, wardrobe, the curtains and everything else she could reach. "And this is supposed to be _camp_?" I nodded again. "Well, I think I'm starting to like camping."

"Dinner's starting soon if you want to see more of the camp along the way," I suggested and she nodded, trying to hide the grin on her face. She dropped her bag on the bed and walked back out the door with me. On our way to the mess hall, Andee was tackled from the side by a blonde blur and almost fell over.

"Andee!"

"Annabeth!"

The two girls squeal and embraced each other tightly before holding each other at arm's length and talking at about a mile per minute. I'm not even sure how they could understand one another over each other's voice. I think they may have been catching up, but I really couldn't tell. Grover, who had been with Annabeth, came and stood by me, looking as awkward as I felt.

"The Dream Team is reunited!" Andee exclaimed, laughing along with Annabeth. They were laughing and talking, although none of it was understandable to a guy. I think guy's hearing was on a different wavelength than a guy's.

"Are you getting any of this?" I asked Grover.

He shook his head. "As far as I can tell, they knew each other before this."

"You know," I interrupted the two girls, "dinner is starting soon."

"Then that is where we should go!" Andee said matter-of-factly, skipping ahead with Annabeth even though she had no idea where to go. Once they were far enough away, Grover decided to strike up a conversation that definitely wasn't for their ears.

"You're falling for her, aren't you?"

"What? I don't even know what you're talking about," I lied, because I really liked her. Like, _really_ liked her. There was just something about her...she was different. And I know that sound cliché, but it was true. I couldn't help being attracted to that beautiful, quirky, stubborn, and possibly insane girl.

"Sure you don't," Grover rolled his eyes at me. "It's not like I can read your emotions."

"Okay, you win - I like Andee," I admitted. "But she wouldn't like someone like me." I wasn't popular, I wasn't cool, and I wasn't all that good looking...what reason would she have to like me?

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Grover said quietly. "She's trying a little too hard to hate you."

"Hey! You two! What is taking you so long?" Andee called back at us. "Get your butts up here!"

Grover and I jogged to catch up with him, just to find them talking to each other in hushed tones.

"...tell you something in private later - no one here can hear it, but it's really important," Andee said quietly and quite quickly. She turned back to us and smiled. "So I guess we'll just head over to dinner then."

We all went to the mess hall and divided into our respective groups. Annabeth headed to Athena's table and Grover headed over to Dionysus' table with Andee following close behind him. She stopped and talked to Mr. D for a few minutes, even making him laugh before she stopped at the Aphrodite table to quickly talk with Silena Beauregard. She also stopped at the Apollo table where Lee leapt to his feet and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tightly. He pecked her on the top of the head before he'd let her sit down.

Lee was a son of Apollo and one of the biggest heartthrobs at camp. He had dated a lot of the girls residing at camp, not to mention the many others outside of camp as well. He was tall and tanned with bleach blonde hair and blue eyes. He had a lot of muscle and was always showing his bright white teeth when he smiled, even more so whenever any of the female population of camp was around.

Andee was making a big show of laughing at her table, and glaring over at me. She whispered something to Lee and he glanced over at me as well, before turning back to her and talking quietly with her. Once dinner was done, everyone began to head back to their cabins or other areas of the camp to fit in a few more activities before curfew. Chiron called over Lee, Andee, Annabeth, and Silena, muttering something to them and they all nodded, leaving the mess hall together.

I know I shouldn't have, but I did anyways - I followed them. I realized that whatever they were going to talk about was probably private, but I had a strange urge to find out what it was. Once they were almost out of eyesight, I got up and followed behind them, making sure that I kept a good distance away from them.

They all filed into Zeus' cabin and Andee closed the door behind them, going around and shutting all the curtains. I ran up once I was sure no one was going to see me and pressed myself against the cabin, trying to catch a tidbit of what they were saying.

I could hear someone strumming the guitar gently in the background in what seemed to be an absent-minded way.

"...you don't get it! He's the one! He's the one from the Prophecy!" I heard Andee exclaim.

"That's what you said about Lucas too," Lee pointed out.

"No, _dad_ said that. I have never said anything of the sort," Andee argued.

"It is a definite possibility that he is," Silena spoke up, her voice airy and melodic. "My mother has expressed a particular..._interest_ in him. Besides, the Fates love to repeat history. It would make perfect sense."

"See?"

"But couldn't you just be thinking this because you have feelings for him?" Annabeth asked.

"Well, of course I'm saying it because of that! It would make no sense otherwise!" Andee exclaimed and I could hear the frustration in her voice.

"Well, if he is the one, he's just going to hurt you," Lee said. "So maybe it's best that you keep doing what you doing because that way, it won't happen."

"You guys don't get it, do you?" she asked. "It's practically killing me to be this way to him! And now that I've met him, there's no way to avoid him anymore - even if I try, we will literally run into each other everywhere we go."

"You know, I could always help with that," Lee said, sounding very overprotective of her all of a sudden. Like he was ready to beat up whoever they were talking about.

"If you lay a single finger on him, I swear..." Andee threatened.

"If he lays a single finger on you, his ass is mine," he retorted.

"Why do you think I'm acting this way? To get him to hate me so it won't be a problem any more but he's too stubborn!" Andee said. I walked away quickly, knowing that this conversation would be ending soon.

I couldn't really wrap my head around what I had heard. A Prophecy had been made about Andee and someone else, and the other person was going to hurt her...but she liked him but was trying to make him believe she hated him? Why did everything involving demigods have to be so damn confusing all the time? Why not just say something outright for once?

Because that would make life too easy. And life was never easy when you were a half-blood.

Once I was far enough away so that no one would suspect me of doing anything, I looked down at my watch. Curfew was coming up quick so I decided to try to get in a walk along the beach to clear my head. Just being near the ocean helped me think better. As I strolled along the shore, watching the waves crash against the sand, smelling the salty ocean water and feeling the sand getting stuck in my shoes, I heard someone talking.

I saw Andee sitting on the pier, talking into her phone in a different language. And it doesn't matter what language someone is speaking in, you can always tell when a kid is sucking up to a parent to let them do something. She hung up the phone and sighed, running a hand through her golden locks. "Do you always try to eavesdrop on people's conversations?"

"I - uh - I wasn't -"

"Don't. Lie," Andee said through gritted teeth, putting pressure on her head as if by lying it was physically hurting her.

"Okay, I was just walking along the beach and happened to hear you, but I couldn't understand anything you were saying," I amended and she nodded, fiddling with her necklace and touching it to her lips. As I looked at her, I noticed she glowed in the dark.

I walked over and sat next to her on the pier, and she edged away a few inches. "So was that your mom on the phone?"

"My mother died when I was born," Andee said, standing up, "and I'm the one who killed her."

"I'm really sorry," I said, standing up as well.

"I'm sure," she said calmly before pushing me into the freezing depths of the Long Island Sound. I laughed a little, coming up the surface, completely dry. She just glared at me and stormed off. I swam back to the pier and headed back to my own cabin. As I lay in bed, just about to fall asleep, I knew one thing was for sure - I had fallen in love with Andee le Fay.


	3. Andee Loses Control

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, series, characters, or movies.

**Author's Note: **Hey! So here is Chapter Three, let me know what you think!**  
**

**Chapter Three**  
**Andee Loses Control**

A couple of days later, everyone was back on the camp schedule, doing wrestling, foot-races, lava wall climbing, archery, canoeing, and sword-fighting, and everyone seemed to be watching Andee and seeing how she was doing with it all, even though she was on a completely different schedule than anyone else. But Andee was doing well in almost all of the activities.

In wrestling, Andee could take down the largest kids at camp with just a few swift moves. She could even beat Clarisse, and that was something no one I knew could do. And of course, all the guys came to watch that because...well...it's girls wrestling. It's in our nature to be attracted to it.

Don't judge me.

In the foot-races, she sped ahead of everyone like it was a piece of cake. She was the quickest up the lava wall - it probably helped that the lava just slid right off her skin, not leaving a single mark. She wasn't too bad in canoeing either, but you could tell that she definitely was not comfortable in water. She refused to do sword-fighting practice, going off on her own to do some martial arts practice, which I thought was really strange. I mean, using a sword was one of the first things you learned as a half-blood.

When I got to the archery lesson, I saw that Andee was already there with a mix of people from all different cabins. "Chiron has asked me to teach archery today, to see if I can add in any points and tips that he's not aware of. So just start, and I'll help if I see you doing something wrong," Andee said, walking around and fixing people's postures and giving them tips on hitting the target.

"You're doing it completely wrong," Andee said, giving me an unimpressed look.

I held up my hands in a gesture of surrender. "I never said I was good at archery."

She sighed frustratedly. "Let's start with your stance. You need to stand sideways with one foot in front of the other."

"Like this?" I asked, purposefully doing it wrong.

She rolled her eyes at me. "No." She moved behind me and put her hands on my waist, moving so that I was pressed against her body, and now standing in the right position. "You load your bow and arrow like this," she instructed, gently guiding me through it. "Then point it towards the target." Her hands were over mine. "Relax your fingers and breathe evenly." I tried to do what she told me, although with her this close to me, it was a little hard to relax. "Now shoot the arrow." I did what she instructed again and the arrow hit the outermost ring of the bullseye target. "Better. Now you're actually hitting the target."

"All thanks to you," I said and she made a weird noise at the back of her throat before letting go of me and quickly moving on the next person. I knew she didn't hate me. There was that little part of her that was a lot softer than she wanted me to think.

After lunch and a lot more activities, everyone was gathered in the sword-fighting arena. One of the Ares' guys - Mark - was the first one down in the arena, so it was pretty much a contest to see who could win against him, and admittedly, he was one of the better swordsmen at camp.

A few people went up against him, doing pretty well, but they didn't even come close to beating him.

"I think I'll challenge the new girl next," he said and everyone looked over at her where she was sitting with earphones in as she listened to music, dancing a little and lip-synching to the words of whatever song she was listening to. She snapped back to reality when she realized that everyone was staring at her.

"It's okay, I'll just watch for now - I'm not really into the whole sword thing," she said. People on either side of her whispered to her, probably telling her that if she was challenged, she had to go up and fight, whether she wanted to or not. "Fine, whatever."

I followed her down to the armory where she was getting a sword and a shield. Annabeth had come down with her and Andee was freaking out, throwing things against walls and pounding her fists against the shields hanging along the wall, making them fall to the ground.

"Dee, what's the matter?" Annabeth asked Andee, noticing that something was most definitely wrong. She was usually a lot more composed than this. I had noticed this as well because from what I had seen of Andee so far, she never backed down from a challenge. And she didn't freak out like this.

"I can't use a sword, okay? I'm just going to end up embarrassing myself in front of everyone," she said, picking up a sword and weighing it in her hands. "It's too heavy."

"This is the lightest one we've got,' I said, holding a different one out to her.

She picked it up and weighed it in her hands before sighing. "I guess it'll have to do."

"You'll do fine," I told her and she just brushed past me and led the way back out to the sword-fighting arena where Mark was waiting. Whereas Andee had looked so down and upset before, she wasn't letting it show now. She walked up to him with all the confidence in the world, a look of determination in her eyes.

"On my count," Chiron said, as both of them got into position. Andee was already in bad form and wouldn't be able to defend herself properly. "3...2...1, go!"

Mark immediately went to jab at her and she jumped back, holding her own sword at him. If she had a dagger, or even her bow and arrows, I knew he would've been down already. It went on for quite awhile where Andee was just using evasion tactics, but then Mark swiftly hit the hilt of her sword with his own, knocking it to the ground and out of Andee's hands.

"You're weak," Mark said to her.

"I'm not weak," she snapped, her voice shaky as he began to corner her. She held out her shield in a feeble attempt to protect herself.

"You can't even protect yourself. You're weak!" he shouted at her.

"I'M NOT WEAK!" she roared at him, a ring of fire appearing around her and Mark.

What she did next shocked everyone.

She threw her shield aside, distracting Mark and flipped him, grabbing his sword in the process. She put one foot on top of his chest, holding him down and put the sword to his heart. "Dead," she hissed in such an icy voice that it actually felt like it had started to snow outside. No one would've expected that kind of coldness from a child of Apollo, let alone care-free, eccentric Andee (well, she was those things when she wasn't near me, apparently). "And killed with your own sword."

She started to press the blade against his chest, and blood began to seep through his shirt as he struggled to get away from her. The scariest part was that she was what she was doing and was smirking.

"ANDEE!" Chiron bellowed. Andee blinked a few times like she was coming out of a trance and all the fire disappeared. She looked down and dropped the sword once she saw what she was doing, feeling the sword arena as everyone came down to make sure Mark was okay.

"I'm fine - it's just a flesh wound," he said, taking off his shirt so that Chiron could take a look. I heard a few gasps and I can tell you right now that they call came from the female population of Camp Half-Blood and none of them had to do with the gash on his chest. It wasn't even that deep of a cut.

"You shouldn't have antagonized her," Lee said, glaring at Mark, his arms folded over his chest in a defensive pose. The protective older brother side of him was coming out again - that much was obvious.

"It's no one's fault," Chiron said loudly so that everyone could hear. He also used that moment to stop Mark from saying anything back. "Percy and Annabeth, I'd like you to find her as soon as possible and bring her back to the Big House. Mark, go to the infirmary so we can make sure that no real damage was done."

Annabeth and I checked in Andee's cabin and in the Apollo cabin, but she was nowhere to be found. "I'll go see if anyone's seen her," Annabeth said, running off. I had no idea where to start looking for her. Then I remembered that she went to Fireworks Beach last night to get privacy, so maybe...

I ran over to the beach and saw Andee sitting there, her shoes sitting beside her as she dug her toes in the sand. I walked over and sat down beside her, but instead of acknowledging my presence, she continued staring off at the ocean.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"You have really pretty eyes," I blurted out. I was trying to think of something intelligent to say to fill the awkward silence, and that came out. You're a genius, Jackson, a real Albert Einstein.

Andee looked over at me, a weird look in her eyes. They really were pretty. There were a light green, kind of like jade, and they had little gold flecks in them when you looked close enough. I hadn't noticed that before.

"You should really leave me alone," she said. "I almost killed him."

"Andee, I'm sure you didn't mean to," I told her.

"That's the thing. I fully intended on it. I couldn't control my anger and I was going to kill him," she said, her voice completely lacking any sort of emotion. "If Chiron hadn't yelled my name...I would've stabbed him."

I honestly didn't have anything to say to that. I knew she was more than capable of killing him, and that she probably would've if Chiron hadn't called her name. But Mark was also egging her on. I didn't think she knew Mark from any previous time, but I think he triggered something in her.

"I lost control," she said, still not showing any emotion. "And in case you're wondering, I've never killed anyone before."

"I didn't think you had," I told her honestly. "And quite frankly, I know you wouldn't."

"What is wrong with you?" she demanded, standing up and chucking her shoes into the ocean in her anger. "I can't die permanently! I can't get hurt! I can't even control my anger!" She took a deep breath. "I'm a monster!"

"You're not a monster," I told her calmly. She collapsed on the sand beside me, holding her head in her hands. I summoned the waves to bring her shoes back to her, the pair of flip flops landing at her feet. "Andee, you're not a monster."

"I sure feel like one," she mumbled. "You haven't even seen me at my absolute worst...and I really hope you never have to."

"Andee, if you were a monster, you wouldn't be anywhere near as funny and beautiful as you are," I told her earnestly and she smiled a little. "No one here blames you for what happened. Me, especially."

I lightly stroked her cheek but she held onto my hand. "Why can you hate me? It would make everything so much easier."

"I don't under -"

"There you guys are!" Annabeth shouted. "Dee, Chiron wants to see you."

"I kind of figured he would," she sighed before standing up. She glanced over at me before quickly averting her eyes when she saw that I was looking at her as well. "I guess I'd better head over there."

"I'll walk with you," I offered and Andee didn't respond, but I could see her blushing. Annabeth looked between us and gave me an odd look, but I pretended not to notice. As we walked across the grounds, a few people glanced over, giving Andee an accusatory glare. She ignored them for the most part, but there were a few times she would glare right back at them, making them turn away and pretend they weren't doing anything.

When we reached the Big House, Chiron was waiting at the door and ushered her in before signaling to Annabeth with a slight nod of the head.

"Come on, Seaweed Brain, there's a lot you need to know," Annabeth said, leading me away from the Big House. "Andee, as you know, is very special and tends to have some other differences compared to other half-bloods. Andee found out what she was when we were only six, and she's had to deal with her powers ever since then. And because she has more godly blood than a normal half-blood, she also has more powers which makes it harder for her to control them all.

"When she was born, none of the gods knew what to do with her. They had never had a problem like that before. Before her sixth birthday, she caused about thirteen major forest fires and thirty city-wide power outages. And that's not even mentioning all the smaller incidents. That all happened _before _she found out what she was.

"So to the gods, she was a liability. She couldn't control her powers, and it only got worse when she finally found out what she was. The gods decided that she would take a test when she turned ten, and if she passed the test, everything would be okay. If she didn't, she would have to die," Annabeth explained.

"They were willing to kill their own daughter and granddaughter?" I asked. That was unbelievable! How could anyone - even the gods - do that and be able to live with themselves? Especially when you consider that the gods lived for all eternity.

"It was an extremely difficult choice for them to have to make, Percy. You have to understand that they didn't want to do it, but they had to do what was best for Western Civilization. So her Aunt Valkyrie trained her, using all of her previous knowledge so that when Andee took the test, she passed with flying colors. She still has rare moments when she loses the control she's worked so hard for, but she has the ability to control most of the aspects of her life.

"But because of who her father and grandfather are, she has a severe temper...which is putting it lightly. Think of a brutal thunder and lightning storm mixed with the heat of the sun..._that _would be the most accurate description of it.

"Andee's fatal flaw is control, as you may or may not have figured out. She struggles to control her powers, emotions, and her life but she doesn't like to tell or show people that side of her. It's like a war that's constantly being fought within her. After the incident today, Chiron wants to help Andee by giving her lessons to help her learn better control. She's an amazingly skilled fighter - probably the best anyone has ever seen - and she's mature beyond her years but her lack of control could be the thing that gets her killed...for good," Annabeth said, looking really about all of this.

"Has she died before?" I asked her and she looked back at me.

"What makes you ask that?" Annabeth asked suddenly, looking as if she had said something she wasn't supposed to.

"Just some of the things she says...it seems like she's died before," I informed her.

"Well, technically she has 'died' before, but it's more like her soul temporarily leaving her body," Annabeth said.

"So she can never die?" I asked. That would be cool. She could be made into a god, and never have to die. But that would mean watching everyone you loved dying and growing old while you stayed the same...maybe that wasn't so great after all.

"As far as anyone can tell," Annabeth said. "But we're all pretty sure she can die of old age. And if she's stabbed or shot in a certain spot on her body, she'll die instantly and for good."

"So nothing can hurt her?" I questioned.

"That's - that's something she'd have to tell you herself. She had a really traumatic experience a few years back, but she's very sensitive about it," Annabeth said. "But Percy, please don't tell anybody what I've told you - especially Andee - because it's really no one else's business but hers. I feel guilty for even telling you this much but Chiron thought it would be good for you to know."

The rest of the afternoon went by somewhat smoothly, but Andee stayed locked in her cabin with Annabeth, Lee, and Silena. I don't know what they did that whole time, but they only came out when it was dinner, and then they all went to their own cabin afterwards.

I was in my own cabin asleep that night when I started hearing things.

_Go to her. She needs you._

I woke up, looking all around but there was no one around. I got out of my bed and looked around the cabin. I don't know why, but something was nagging at me to go outside. I started walking but didn't even think about where I was going to go. That's when I ended up on Fireworks Beach where I saw someone sitting on the pier, crying.

"Andee?" I asked, my hand automatically going to my hair to try and tidy it up, even though everyone could tell you it was a hopeless cause. I looked down and realized that I wasn't wearing a shirt, only a pair of my boxers. Well, this was a little embarrassing, especially when I wasn't ripped like Mark or Lee. If I was...well, I probably wouldn't have as many problems trying to ask Andee to go out with me, or to just kiss her, or something.

"Go away," she mumbled, waving her hand in a shooing motion at me.

"Are you okay?" I asked, sitting down beside her. Her normally piercing green eyes looked much softer now that they were surrounded by the red leftover from crying. I wrapped an arm around her and she leaned in, crying into my shoulder. I gently rubbed her back, trying to comfort her.

"I'm so sorry about this," she said quietly, sitting up straight and wiping her eyes after a few minutes. "It's that stupid nightmare. I can't get rid of it no matter what I do. I used to go sleep in my aunt's room but it's not like I can really do that here."

"You could come sleep in my cabin, I don't mind," I suggested.

"I don't know, it doesn't seem like a really good idea," Andee said hesitantly.

"Andee, you need someone right now and I'm right here," I told her and she looked at me and sighed, letting me help her up and lead her to my cabin. She looked so vulnerable and fragile right now, just like the first time I had seen her. When she was like this, there was nothing I wanted to do more than scoop her into my arms and protect her from everything that tried to hurt her. She deserved that.

We got inside my cabin and she looked around, gently running her hands over a few different things, obviously intrigued by them but it seemed like she was afraid of breaking something. "It's very beachy - I like it."

"Yeah, the water really helps me relax," I mentioned as she looked at the fountain at the one side of my room. She nodded, agreeing with my statement before hopping onto my water bed with a big grin on her face.

"That's my bed, you know." She just smiled and patted the spot beside her. I rolled my eyes and laid down in the bed. We both turned so that we were facing opposite directions and fell asleep.

I was awakened again by a high-pitched scream. I was startled so much that I fell out of bed and when I stood up again, Andee was screaming and thrashing around in her sleep.

I was awakened again by a high-pitched scream. I was started so much that I fell out of bed and when I stood up again, Andee was screaming and thrashing around in her sleep, tangled in the sheets. "Andee, it's me, Percy - wake up." On her legs that were sticking out from under the blankets, I noticed large, deep cuts appearing and healing over and over again on her skin. "Andee, Glow Worm, wake up."

Her eyes fluttered open and she immediately began to cry, letting herself fall to the ground. I hugged her tightly and she let everything out. It took awhile for her to calm down and stop crying. When she did, she busied herself with the task of wiping her eyes.

"You must think I'm so weak," she mumbled.

"That's what triggered your anger today, isn't it? Mark calling you weak," I said and she nodded, looking at her lap. "Why does that bother you so much?"

"I knew someone and they always told me that I was weak, especially when I cried like this," she mumbled, looking away from me.

"Well, whoever said that is the stupidest person to ever walk the earth," I said, making her smile grow a little. "And besides, you are one of the strongest people I know." Feeling no pain, she knew that I wasn't lying and she smiled a little more. "So your nightmare...it was the same thing?" I asked, subconsciously rubbing her thigh where some of the worst cuts had been appearing.

"The only difference was that you weren't there to save me this time," she whispered.

"Well, I promise that I will always be here to protect you from everything, no matter what happens, and no matter how much you want me to hate you," I told her and she immediately hugged me, burying her face in my neck and shoulder.

"I really wish you weren't so amazing, Percy," she mumbled, holding onto me tightly. "Thank you so much."

"Let's go back to sleep, okay? I won't let anything happen to you, I promise," I said and she nodded, letting me help her up once more. This time when we both got comfortable on the bed, she didn't face away. She got as close to me as she could and took one of my arms and put it around her waist, while she held the other one tightly in hers. I liked how her hand felt in mine - it was so small and soft. She fell asleep easily after that. She looked really peaceful and serene when she slept - when she wasn't having one of those terrible nightmares, that is.

I gently pressed my lips against her forehead, being careful not to wake her up. "Sweet dreams, Andee."


	4. Not so Happy Ending to Capture the Flag

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, series, movies, characters, or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **Hello everyone! Sorry it has taken me so long to update but I really didn't realize that university was this time-absorbing (and the drama that comes with it). On a lighter note, my musical theatre class is doing Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim and I got Cinderella! In case you don't know, that is one of my _dream roles_, so I am freaking STOKED! So yeah. That is my life. Enjoy the chapter. Review it. Favorite the Story. Alert it. Especially review it. Yeah.**  
**

**Chapter Four**  
**A Not So Happy Ending to Capture the Flag**

I woke up the next morning before Andee did and found the two of us in quite a compromising position. She had her back to me, but was pressed right against my chest and my arms were wrapped tightly around her, her hands still clutching mine as if she would die if she let go. Also known as spooning.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," I said when I noticed her starting to stir in her sleep.

"Mornin'," she said sleepily, yawning. "You know, you are an extremely comfortable person."

"Thanks...?"

"It was a compliment," she reassured me before noticing the position we were in. "Well, um...I think I should go," she said, quickly getting to her feet and walking to the door of the cabin. "But thank you, Percy, for everything."

I smiled as she left, watching as she snuck back to her own cabin so that she wouldn't be caught and punished for sleeping in the same room was a boy.

"Heroes!" Chiron called out later in the day. "Capture the Flag - you all know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. Magical items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as a referee and a battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"

It was a tradition at camp that every two weeks, on Friday, we have a game of Capture the Flag, and this week Chiron thought it would be fun to have the girls go against the guys. So each side made their banners to represent each house on the side. That meant that one side would have Annabeth, Clarisse, and Andee.

Great.

But then again, the guys still had all the guys from Apollo, the guys from Ares, and me...so yeah, we were totally going to win this thing.

Chiron spread his hands and that tables were suddenly covered from end to end with helmets, bronze swords, spears, and oxhide shields coated in metal.

I already had my sword so all I needed was armor to protect myself from the many attacks I'd be receiving. I happened to glance over at Andee, who wasn't going anywhere near the table. She just stayed in her jean shorts, her orange Camp Half-Blood tank top that had a gold bikini peaking out, and her feet covered in gold gladiator sandals. She had her bow and arrows slung over her shoulder and her dagger was tucked into a garter on her thigh. It glittered in the sun, letting everyone know it was there and ready to hurt anyone who got in her way. Her hair was also tied in a ponytail on the top of her head, keeping it out of her face.

"You're not going to wear any armor?" I asked her, causing her to jump a little.

"Oh! No, I figure I don't really need it," she shrugged before running a finger along me armor and moving closer to me. "But you will."

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" I asked. She looked up and smiled innocently at me. "You're on."

"Good. Because I'd expect nothing but the best from the guy who saved Zeus' master bolt," she said before walking away to join the rest of her team. Her hips swayed just a little more as she walked away, and I couldn't help but indulge myself and watch.

"Teams! To the forest!" Chiron announced and everyone headed into the woods so their side could prepare for when Chiron lit off the signal flare.

"Blue team! Huddle up!" I called, having been made leader of this team by a unanimous decision (well, the Ares guys didn't really agree, but everyone chose to ignore them). "You two, defend the flag. Half of you will stop the girls from getting anywhere near ours, and the other half and I will go and get their flag."

We all broke up and got into position before he heard and saw the flare go off. "Go!" I shouted and everyone began running and jumping over the creek and into enemy territory. We were running and fighting off girls. The combined force of all the guys seemed to make a pretty good team, I noticed.

"Get the flag!" Lee yelled at me when he got caught up in a fight with Clarisse and her electric spear. I've had my own encounters with that spear and decided that Lee could handle it. I continued running, thinking about what Andee had said before about enhanced speed, when I found myself near a much smaller creek. I walked along it before stopping to catch my breath and regain some strength.

When I looked up, I saw the girl's flag, a bright red piece of fabric covered in hearts, lyres, romance novels, and little cherubs. Oh, and make-up. How typical.

_Already won_, I thought smugly, striding over to the flag. That was before something - or rather, some_one_ - jumped down in front of me. They stood up straight, their dagger tip brushing against my Adam's apple.

Andee.

"You really thought this would be easy, didn't you?" she asked, circling me. The blade never left my neck, but never actually cut my skin. It was just tickling it, warning me that it could go deeper if I tried to escape.

"Well, when no one's around, I tend to think things will be easy," I said and she circled back to the front to smirk at me again.

"That was your first mistake - if something seems too easy, you need to realize that it is," she said before removing her dagger and tucking it back into her garter. "Well, come on then, let's get your butt-kicking over with."

"Or I could do this instead," I said, leaning towards her in an attempt to kiss her. She leaned in as well, but before I could even grasp what was happening, she had my sword pointing at me.

"Lesson number two: never let yourself get distracted," she said, a satisfied smile on her face.

"Maybe I wasn't trying to distract you," I countered. That was the truth - I just wanted to kiss her. She had this strange thing about her that seemed to pull me in further and further.

"Or maybe you're just saying that to try and further distract me from guarding my flag. Well, Perseus Jackson, it's not going to work," she said, still pointing my sword at me.

"My full name? That's a low blow," I commented and she raised her eyebrows. "Besides, you would've been able to tell if I was lying. You know I wasn't. She stared at me, making an obvious attempt to try and not get distracted. "But it really doesn't matter what you do, because the guys are going to win. There's no way a bunch of girls can beat us."

"Girls can do everything better than guys, and we can do it in high heels," Andee said, a sly smile on her face. She looked away, noticing that people were starting to gather around to see who was going to win this. Everyone knew that whoever came out the champion of this fight would win the entire game for their team.

In her moment of distraction, I grabbed my sword back and pointed it at her chest. "Touché," she said, still smiling. She ducked out of the way, pushing my sword down with her foot. We continued fighting and Andee used all sorts of different moves that showed off her flexibility and previous training. Unfortunately for me, that meant I was getting my ass handed to me on a silver platter.

I backed into the creek and immediately felt the water refreshing my body and helping me regain my strength. I noticed that Andee didn't look at all affected by the fight, but then again, the sun was shining on her the entire time.

"You know what really doesn't go together?" Andee asked. "Water and electricity." Before I could do anything she summoned a lightning bolt and used her dagger to direct the energy at me. Nothing happened though. I should've been friend but here I was, perfectly fine. I couldn't believe it but I knew it must have something to do with the water.

Andee frowned as she looked at me in confusion, unsure why I wasn't barbecue yet. I grinned at her and jumped back up and began fighting again. We were getting nowhere until she knocked my sword out of my hands and swiftly pressed her dagger to my neck. "I win."

The girls all started cheering happily just as Annabeth came running back to the girl's side with our banner, as if to rub it in our faces even more. Andee just smiled over at me from where she was with the rest of the girls.

"Tough break, dude," Grover said as I watched her. "But on the plus side, I think Andee actually likes you."

"Yeah, sure," I said doubtfully, watching as the girls celebrated, all laughing and cheering over their victory.

Later that night, at the girl's celebratory feast, the big bonfire was going strong. One of the Hermes kids had hooked up some speakers and was playing some loud, fast-paced music that they had probably gotten from one of the Apollo kids - as arrogant as they usually were; they had the best taste in music. There were refreshment tables with an assortment of food and drinks on it, and logs all around the fire fore sitting on. The Aphrodite girls had made silver and gold wreaths for all the girls to wear in their hair like crowns, showing off their victory even more.

As I was getting something to drink, I saw Andee dancing near the fire, a big grin plastered on her face. Her lips were moving along with the words of the song. A few of the Aphrodite girls joined in the dancing. They all looked like they were having a lot of fun, moving their hips sensually to the beat of the music, attracting the attention of all the guys at camp.

A few guys dared go up and dance with the girls dancing, who eventually brushed them away after one song or so. I got sick of watching Andee with other guys. I had never gone to a school dance before, and when I had been at boarding schools where the attendance was mandatory, I was one of those guys who played basketball in the back corner. But I knew one thing for sure - I was jealous. I wanted Andee all to myself.

So I marched right up and grabbed her by the hips, bringing her close to me. She let her hands rest over top of mine as she leaned back, relaxing a little as she danced more with me. She lifted my hands up and twirled so she was facing me, her normally pale cheeks flushed. She grinned as she moved her hips right against mine, giggling as she moved her hands restlessly from my chest to the back of my neck to my shoulder. She leaned her forehead against mine, staring right into my eyes, just smiling happily. Everything seemed to be going perfectly.

That was before she collapsed on the ground.


	5. A Quest to Be Given

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, series, movies, or anything else related to it.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! I've decided to upload five chapters at once (so all of the author's notes will be the exact same), so make sure you read, review and favorite!**  
**

**Chapter Five  
A Quest to Be Given**

Andee collapsed to the ground, landing on her hands and knees. She clutched her chest, gasping for any air she could get.

"Andee, are you alright?" I asked as she continued to struggle breathing. I immediately dropped to my knees beside her. "Andee, come on, breathe!" Her eyes turned as white as freshly fallen snow and she was no longer gasping for air. Someone stopped the music in the background while everyone gathered around her, looking at her in concern.

"_Four will go east to where it all started,  
Into a land where the way is uncharted.  
To find the key to time's demise,  
The ghost king must see through the guise.  
The daughter of the sun shall find the trail,  
Consequences horrible if they do fail_," she said in a strange voice that I knew definitely wasn't hers. And I figured it out almost immediately after hearing it - it was the voice of the Oracle.

It was also in that same moment that I also realized that she had just recited a Prophecy. Everyone was whispering as she continued to repeat it. Chiron burst through the crowd in centaur form, listening intently to what she was saying. She made eye contact with him and then suddenly collapsed again, falling right into my arms.

"Clear the way!" Chiron bellowed. The sea of previously partying campers immediately parted, making way for Chiron to get through. "Percy, please bring her to the infirmary."

He led the way to the infirmary, in full centaur form. All eyes were on us as we passed, but it only took a few minutes to be out of everyone's sight. "Chiron, is she going to be okay?" I asked, noticing how limp her body was as I lifted her up the stairs leading to the infirmary.

"Yes, in time she will be back in full-health," Chiron answered sullenly, leading me to one of the beds before signaling for me to put her down.

"In time...what's that supposed to mean? A few minutes? A few hours? Days? Months?" I questioned.

"I do now know, Percy. The last time his happened, she did not wake up for two weeks," Chiron said. "Her father tends to send Prophecies through Andee if they're important or if he can't wait for someone to consult the Oracle. But it takes a heavy toll on Andee every time he does it. It affects her mentally, emotionally, and especially physically. It's really bad for her health and it takes her body a long time to heal, which is why she goes into a coma."

"Then why does Apollo do it if he knows that this is what happens afterwards?" I asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Percy. Although, Andee would never say anything to father because she's not the type to complain," Chiron said, looking down at Andee's unconscious figure. "I just wish he would stop doing this because no matter how hard it gets for her, she'll never say anything to him about it." He shook his head as if trying to rid himself of any negative thoughts. "Anyways, if you would like to stay with her, Percy, you are more than welcome. But keep in mind that camp rules still apply and that you will have to go to most of your training and sleep in your own cabin. But if you happen to be here when she awakens, please alert me as soon as possible. We'll need to have a meeting with the leaders of each cabin as soon as possible."

"Thanks Chiron," I said. I ended up spending all of my free time with her, only leaving for me training, to go to sleep, to have the occasional meal, and to go to the washroom.

But it was obvious how tense everything was getting around the camp. The guys from Apollo were isolating themselves from everyone, which was really unusual when you thought about how social they usually were. The only other person they talked to was Annabeth, and even that was pretty rare. When they'd come to check on Andee, they acted as if I wasn't there.

About five days after Andee had gone into her coma, her eyes fluttered open and she blinked a few times before looking at me. "Oh, Hades," she moaned, pressing a hand to her forehead.

"Welcome back," I said, smiling at her.

"I don't want to come back yet," she mumbled, closing her eyes again and pulling the blankets over her head. I gave her a look. "What happened to me?"

"You don't remember?" she shook her head under the blankets. I told her about the girls having their celebratory feast all the way to where we were now. She remembered a bit of the girls' celebration, but the rest of her memory was, understandably, blank. "I really hate it when this happens," she said, taking a couple of ibuprofen from the nightstand beside her for her headache.

"Why do you let your dad do that to you? Why don't you say something to him?" I questioned.

She looked thoughtful for a minute. "Honestly? I don't know why. I guess I just feel that if he thinks it's important, I have to trust that it is," she explained. I kind of understood the logic behind that. It reminded me of what every half-blood went through. We didn't see our godly parents often, if at all, but we had to trust that they'd do their best to keep us safe and that they really did love us.

Once her head was starting to feel better, she decided that it would probably be a good idea for her to go take a shower and get dressed in one of the infirmary bathrooms. Annabeth had brought her some fresh clothes earlier in the week so that she'd be prepared when she woke up. I helped her walk over because she hadn't regenerated fully and was still a little dizzy and unstable. When she walked back into the main room, she was humming lightly. She happened to glance outside and her eyes widened. "Do you see that?"

"See what?"

"That!" Andee said, pointing to the sky which was perfectly clear. She started walking outside of the infirmary, forcing me to follow her.

"There's nothing there, Andee," I told her.

"This isn't good," she said, her eyes focused on the sky. "What did the Prophecy say?"

"I dunno, it said something about -"

"Get away from her!" Lee yelled at me, a sword pointed right at my chest. Lee was another one of the campers who was quite talented with a sword, so I probably wasn't in the best position. "Andee, go back to your cabin. Now."

"Lee, what is your problem?" Andee demanded before holding her head and grabbing onto my shirt to keep herself standing. It was a bit of an exaggerated motion and I knew why - it was to give me a change to get out Riptide without looking too suspicious. I took the ballpoint pen out of my pocket and held it in my hand, read at a moment's notice.

"You know what my 'problem' is," he said through gritted teeth.

"Ah, it's that time of the month, is it?" Andee asked. "You know, if you needed some tampons, all you have to do is ask."

His face turned bright red. "You know what I'm talking about."

"Andee, Dad wants to talk to you," Michael Yew said, interrupting what seemed like was going to be a bad fight between the two siblings. "Right now."

"Fine!" she snapped, her anger flaring up. She went to storm away when Lee pointed his sword at me and I quickly retaliated, unsheathing my sword and blocking myself with it.

"You're going to stay away from my sister," Lee growled.

"You know, I don't think it's really your place to say who she can and can't be around," I said, blocking one of his attempts to strike me with his sword.

Andee whirled around, stumbling a bit as she did so and marched back over to where we were. "Fighting each other is not going to solve anything. Just walk away!" Andee shouted, pushing Lee towards the cabins. She sent me an apologetic look as she joined her brothers. Lee turned and gave me a dirty look before Andee hit him and yelled at him to "act his age, not his shoe size".

I had to stifle a laugh so I wouldn't provoke him even more, even though Andee turned and gave me a secretive smile, putting a finger to her lips immediately after.

After dinner, Chiron immediately called a meeting in the Big House with all the cabin leaders. A meeting of the leaders was like a meeting of the Olympian Council, except we gad Chiron and Mr. D to keep everything under control.

Scratch that, we had _Chiron_ to keep things under control.

Andee sat at the head of the table because she was representing the Zeus cabin, being the one demigod staying in it. I sat on her immediate left with Clarisse beside me, and Lee on the other side of her. On the same side, we also had Beckendorf and the Stoll brothers. On the opposite side was Katie Gardner from Demeter, Annabeth, and an empty seat where someone from Artemis would sit if she actually had any children. Then there was Silena to represent Aphrodite, and Pollux and Castor both took the seat of the Dionysus cabin. Grover was also there with Dionysus.

I chanced a smile and a wave at Andee who returned both gestures, but also gave me a look telling me not to get caught even looking at her. And judging by the death glare Lee was giving me, I thought that was probably a good idea.

Chiron and Mr. D entered the room and stood at the opposite side of the table from Andee. Chiron was wearing a troubled expression as everyone chatted.

"Silence, please," Chiron said and silence fell over the whole room. "I'm assuming you all know why you're here, but in case you don't, I'll explain what has happened.

"As you may know, the Titans are plotting to overtake Olympus and it is left on our shoulders to protect it. We know this because of the Great Prophecy." Yeah, the Great Prophecy that no one will tell me about. "Another Prophecy has been revealed, in an...unusual way" - he glanced at Andee as he said that - "but it is still a valid Prophecy, nonetheless. It says:

"_Four will go east to where it all started,  
Into a land where the way is uncharted.  
To find the key to time's demise,  
The ghost king must see through the guise.  
The daughter of the sun shall find the trail,  
Consequences horrible if they do fail_," Chiron repeated and everyone immediately recognized it from the night of Capture the Flag. It was kind of hard to forget seeing someone collapse and suddenly start reciting a Prophecy. "This means that a quest must be given immediately."


	6. Wingin' It

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, series, movies, or anything else related to it.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! I've decided to upload five chapters at once (so all of the author's notes will be the exact same), so make sure you read, review and favorite!**  
**

**Chapter Six  
Wingin' It**

"This means that a quest must be given immediately." Everyone was stunned into silence. No one knew what to say. A quest had never been given out like this. It just didn't happen. Someone would say they wanted it and would have to go to the Big House attic to consult the Oracle. But we already had a Prophecy without consulting the Oracle. And you could tell that no one, not even myself, knew how to react to this.

"I want it," a calm voice broke the silence. Everyone's head whipped around to look at Andee. She looked completely relaxed at first glance, but if you looked closer - at her eyes - you could see a fierce determination unlike anything I had ever seen before. And once I had seen that look, I knew that no one was going to get in her way.

"What?" This caused outrage among all the leaders. Everyone wanted this quest and was coming up with every reason possible to try and get it for themselves. But even with the chaos that ensure from everyone's bickering, Andee remained perfectly calm.

"Listen!" she demanded, her voice raising a few levels above everyone else's, making everyone quiet down at once. "I have been getting these Prophecies since I was really little, probably since I was born, if I could remember that far back. But every single time, I've seen who each Prophecy is meant for. This is _my_ mission."

"You mean 'quest'," Katie corrected.

"No, I definitely mean mission - it makes me feel like an international super spy," she replied cheerfully, and no one said anything after that. A few people smiled a little, all of us having learned pretty quickly that this was typical Andee behavior. "Besides, the Prophecy said '_The daughter of the sun shall find the trail_', and last time I checked, I'm the only daughter of Apollo. Either way, I have to go on this mission."

"I agree," Chiron said, a few people groaning their protest but not saying anything more. "So the next issue we must address is your quest companions. The Prophecy states that four of you will go, so Andee, who would you like to bring as your three companions?"

"Annabeth, Grover, and...Percy."

"Percy?" Lee asked, giving her a look. Hell, even I was giving her that look. I knew she liked me a bit, but I really had thought she would get one of her brother's to come with her. "I don't think that's the best idea."

"It doesn't matter what you think - I saw exactly who was coming on the quest with me when I was giving the Prophecy. That is who will come with me, case closed," Andee said definitely.

"Very wise choices," Chiron said, nodding as if he knew something no one else knew. "You will all leave first thing in the morning. I suggest you pack any necessary equipment and get to sleep as soon as possible - you'll be getting up quite early tomorrow morning."

Everyone went their own ways, probably to go spread the news to the rest of the campers of what just happened. Most of it would probably be of how Andee - the newcomer to camp - just dominated the meeting. That was bigger news than anything else that had happened at the meeting.

The next morning, everyone was pretty much ready to do. Grover had met me at my cabin and was reminding me to go pack certain things because my attention tended to waver when doing tedious tasks like packing.

As we were walking out of my cabin, we could hear Annabeth and Andee arguing as they walked out of the Zeus cabin.

"...do not need that many dresses!" Annabeth exclaimed. "It's just not practical!"

"I wear dresses as much as someone else would wear pants. I like dresses and all the ones I packed are all casual," Andee argued.

"You have dresses in there that you would only wear to a club or on a date or something!" Annabeth retorted.

"The occasion may arise where we need to blend in, and when that time comes, I will be the one who is prepared, Annabeth," Andee said very seriously. "And when that time comes, I will laugh. Maniacally."

"Whatever," Annabeth scoffed, both girls meeting up with us. Andee had her bag slung over her shoulders and was wearing a simple pair of denim shorts and a t-shirt, much like Annabeth was.

"So are we all ready?" Andee asked cheerfully, as if the fate of the world didn't depend on the four of us.

"Uh...yeah. But I actually wanted to talk to you about something," I mentioned to Andee, giving Annabeth and Grover a look that clearly told them to go on ahead of us.

"How about Grover and I go meet up with Chiron and let him know that you two are on your way?" Annabeth suggested in an overly cheery voice before pulling Grover along with her.

"What did you want to talk about?" Andee asked, walking alongside me.

"I wanted to know why you picked me to go on this quest with you," I said slowly, not wanting to sound rude about it. I was grateful she had chosen me, but I was still a little confused about it as well.

"For the exact reason I told everyone else - I saw your face when I was reciting the Prophecy. That's one of the things I remember clearly," Andee said. "Besides, I really don't think I'd be able to stand being with even _one_ of my brothers for that long. They are _way _too protective."

"I've noticed," I said and her grin grew before she bumped me with her hip. I bumped her back, making her laugh and she stumbled off to the side. We finally made it up to Thalia's Pine where the Golden Fleece glittered in it's branches, and Peleus was wrapped around the base taking a mid-day snooze. Chiron, Argus, Grover, and Annabeth were all waiting for us, Lee in the group too.

"Glad you finally joined us," Chiron said, making both Andee and I smile in response. "So Andee, I take it that your plan is the same as you told me last night?" She nodded. "Okay Argus, you know what to do."

Argus went down to the van to go get it started and ready to take us to whatever destination Andee had decided on. Lee gave Andee a hug goodbye, telling her to be careful while the rest of us went down to the van. Andee joined us a few moments later, squeezing into the middle seat with Annabeth while Grover and I took up the back seats.

I watched over the seats as the girls played some weird card game. They were shuffling it a certain number of times and dealing them out in a very specific way. And having had to live with Gabe for as long as I did, I knew pretty much every card game in existence.

"What are you guys playing?" Grover asked, having noticed this as well.

"Well," Andee said, placing a few cards down for Annabeth to look at, "it's not really a game. They're tarot cards - it's a vague way of seeing what's going to happen in the near future."

"Show me."

She signaled for Annabeth to move and patted the spot beside her. I sat down and she gathered the cards up and shuffled them, using a few fancy tricks here and there.

"Do you play cards a lot or something?" I asked.

"Well, only on Fridays - that's when I play strip poker," she commented off-handedly. I looked at her, my mouth gaping. Of course, I start imagining this and my cheeks started to heat up. She glanced upwards and smiled when she saw my reaction. "I'm kidding."

"Right, I knew that," I said, my face feeling even hotter as she smiled slyly, like she knew something I didn't. Which, now that I think of it, she probably knew a lot of things that I didn't.

She held out about twenty cards towards me. "Pick out one of these cards. It'll be your significator."

"And in normal people speak, that means...?" I asked as I picked one. I couldn't read what it said - all the letters were jumbled up.

"Your significator is supposed to represent you as a person," she explained, taking the card from my hand. "The Knight of Cups."

"That figures," Annabeth remarked.

"What do you mean?"

"It's supposed to signify water behaving like fire, kind of like a river," Andee said, placing the card down in front of her.

"It's a person that's a passionate romantic, full of charm and beauty, but prone to extremes. It's also supposed to represent an eager and intense person that is very forward with their emotions and tender in their support for others," Annabeth added in from the back seat.

"So what's your question?" Andee said loudly, making it so that Annabeth couldn't say anything else. Annabeth grinned impishly.

"I dunno," I shrugged, although I really did know. I wanted to ask if she liked me, or loved me for that matter. But I couldn't do that with her sitting right that. "Will I do well on this quest?"

She took out three cards and spread them along the seat. "The left one represents an important element of the past, the middle represents a deciding element of the present, and the right card represents a critical element of the future, got it?" she asked and I nodded. She flipped the cards over and I noticed that the middle and the right one were flipped upside down.

"Don't you need to flip those two right side up?" I asked.

"Nope. When the cards are upside down, the card takes on an entirely different meaning," she said, studying the cards. "Very interesting...the Six of Wands, the Four of Cups reversed and the Page of Swords reversed."

"So what does it mean?"

"Well, to start, the Six of Wands generally represents victory, but to be a little more detailed, it's a sense of honor at the solution of an important conflict - triumph after a struggle, jubilation at hearing good news or the realization of hopes and desires. Does that mean anything to you?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Yeah, our past fee quests," I said and both Annabeth and Grover nodded, apparently interested in what we were doing now. We had brought the Master Bolt back to Olympus, saved Grover and brought the Golden Fleece to camp to strengthen its weakening borders, and saved Annabeth and Artemis from Atlas.

"Good. So the Four of Cups reversed, which is your present, signifies new and unusual relationships, or the reawakening of your path to life or love," she stated before glancing up at me. I nodded to show that it did in fact mean something.

My new relationship with her - well, friendship I guess it was. I wasn't even sure if it was friendship because she could be really nice and sweet at times, and other times she seemed to push me away. But it had to mean that, right? It was definitely unusual - especially for me. I hadn't felt anything like this before. And I knew with all my being that I was desperately in love with her.

"No explanation?" she asked and I shook my head, feeling my cheeks grow warm. "Fine with me. It's not my place to pry. So, the Page of Swords, when it's reversed, means the approach of an unexpected challenge and a person filled with a destructive appetite for all matters of mind and logic. They'll use clever argument and eloquent speech to mask the truth. But you'll find out who it is and how greatly they've been deceiving you." She squinted as she looked down at the card. "I keep getting this strange feeling that this person has deceived you before."

"Luke," I said quietly, and Annabeth looked away, pretending to be busying herself with cleaning her dagger.

"Well its best not to over think these things, the future is always changing," Andee said quickly, putting everything away into a small velvet bag, and stuffing that into her shoulder bag. "I mean, nothing's set in stone, right?"

Annabeth just shook her head at her friend. "So Andee, what's the plan once we get wherever we're going?" Annabeth asked.

"Dunno. Haven't thought of one yet," Andee said casually, leaning against the car door and we all looked at her like she was mad. "What?"

"You don't have a plan?" Annabeth demanded, and I could literally see her getting angrier as each second passed.

"Nope."

This should be interesting.

To sum up what happened, Annabeth started screaming at Andee asking why she would even take on a quest like this if she didn't have a plan. Andee was very calm about it, but every once in a while, you'd see her eyes flare up. It was kind of like what you'd see on a god, but to a much lesser extent. Which was still kind of scary. So Grover and I made the wise choice to stay out of it.

"Annie, I had a dream about the shore last night. And you know what half-blood dreams are like. And that's not to mention all the other signs I've seen pointing me to the shore, so that's where we'll go. Then we can just take it from there, alright?" Andee asked calmly.

"What about somewhere to stay?" Annabeth asked, sighing as she gave into Andee's reasoning.

"I have my emergency card," Andee said, pulling a bank card out of her back pocket. "Dad and Val gave me this to use in case of an emergency, and I would definitely classify this as an emergency. So, we'll find a hotel and stay there for the night, okay? Geez, you'd think I was leading you to Hell by the way you're all freaking out."

So in other words, we were _doomed_.


	7. Dancing With the Gods

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, series, movies, or anything else related to it.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! I've decided to upload five chapters at once (so all of the author's notes will be the exact same), so make sure you read, review and favorite!**  
**

**Chapter Seven**  
**Dancing With the Gods**

When we arrived at the shore after many food and bathroom breaks (mostly from Andee and Grover), it was starting to get dark so Argus dropped us off at the shore before turning around and heading back to Camp, which I knew would take a couple of hours. Andee stood, watching the van drive away before looking around at her surroundings.

"Well, since I am not a New York native, or a United States native, for that matter, who knows where the closest hotel is?" Andee asked, holding her necklace and rubbing it against her bottom lip as she continued to look around.

"Andee," I whispered, nudging her arm with my hand. "Right there." I pointed to the large building beside us that was looking over the waterfront.

"Aha! We have found it!" Andee exclaimed dramatically before leading the way over to the hotel entrance. Once we had a room booked for the night, we went up to see it.

There were two beds, a couch, a television, a bathroom and a mini fridge. Andee walked in and dumped her bag on the floor, diving onto one of the beds. "It's so comfy!" her muffled voice exclaimed happily.

"Well, we don't have much time so we should plan our next move," Annabeth suggested.

"How 'bout we go clubbing instead?" Andee asked. She might not have ADHD like a normal half-blood, but she sure acted like it sometimes.

"We're underage," Annabeth argued.

"Actually," Andee started, smiling slyly, "there are clubs in New York designed for people under the legal drinking age." Annabeth gave her a look. "Come on, Bethie! We can't do anything until we figure out the next move, but we're so stressed that we're not going to be able to think of anything until we relax a little. And besides, maybe the Fates will step in and give us a little push in the right direction."

"She has a valid point," Grover mentioned and Annabeth huffed angrily. Andee smiled at her victory.

"Come on, let's get ready! You two too!" she shouted as she ran into the bathroom with Annabeth, grabbing her bag on the way in. "Meet us down in the lobby."

Grover and I were ready within a few minutes while the girls took a lot longer. And I mean, _a lot_. They took about an hour to get ready, but I could definitely see why when they stepped out of the elevator.

Annabeth had her down for one of the first times I had ever seen in all the time I had known her for. She had smoky make-up around her grey eyes and was wearing a sequined black top with a pair of tight jeans and matching black flats.

Andee made my jaw drop. She had her blonde hair in curls much like Annabeth's, but hers weren't nearly as long. She had sparkly gold make-up on her eyes and was wearing a short, gold-sequined tube dress and black high heels that must've made her at least four inches taller. She was wearing a pair of gold dangly earrings, a black leather jacket kept open, and holding a black clutch that I later found out was her normal bag, but because it was one of her magic items, she could change it's appearance whenever she wanted. She just never really wanted to change it, apparently.

"So how do we look?" Andee asked, smiling brightly and twirling around so we could get a full look at her.

"You look amazing," I said softly.

"Well I don't feel amazing - I feel very uncomfortable," Annabeth said, adjusting her top slightly. She totally missed the fact that the comment was meant for Andee, but whatever.

We left the hotel and Andee started leading us down the street to where she had apparently seen an underage club on the way here. You could tell we were close because you could hear the music from however many blocks away we were. Andee was strutting down the sidewalk with all the confidence in the world as she led us to the club.

"Hey," I said quietly to Andee, having to walk pressed fast to be able to catch up with her fast pace.

"Hello," she smiled at me, her hand brushing mine as we walked together in a comfortable silence. We got there and Andee led us up to the stairs where a big guy wearing sunglasses was standing with a clipboard. He saw us approaching and lowered his sunglasses, giving us a "not-going-to-happen" look.

I looked over at Andee but she didn't seem to notice - she just kept that confident smile on her face. She walked up and the other waiting in line began to look at her as well. When she reached the bodyguard, he said, "Name?"

She snapped her fingers and his eyes went blank, along with everyone else's. "You don't remember? It's Andee le Fay, Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Grover Underwood. We come here practically every weekend!"

"I'm so sorry for the inconvenience, Miss le Fay. Go right on in," he said, his eyes going back to normal as we breezed past.

"Where did you learn how to use the Mist?" I asked.

"My aunt," Andee said simply. "She was at Camp for a _long_ time."

The music was booming and the only light in the whole place was the multicolor lights flashing around the club. Andee began dancing right away, swaying her hips to the beat. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the music take over.

"There's a strong smell in here," Grover mentioned. "Something not human."

"Well then, you see? The timing is perfect. I guess the Fates really are with us," Andee commented before looking at Annabeth. "Come on, love, let's dance!"

Andee took Annabeth by the hand and began to dance with her, both of them moving to the beat of the music and laughing away. I couldn't believe that someone like Andee, who has actually been through quite a lot, could get on with her life just like that. She didn't seem to care about what had happened in her in the past, while others moaned on and on about all the horrible things that had happened to her.

"Ask her to dance," Grover told me.

"I can't," I said, terrified of the idea of actually trying to ask someone like her to dance with me. Especially seeing as she didn't remember dancing with me at the celebratory feast.

"Do it," Grover said, shoving me towards her.

"Hey, you wanna dance?" someone asked from behind Andee just as I was about to ask her myself. It was an older teenager, probably eighteen or nineteen, standing behind her. He had dark, bright blue eyes, and was wearing a black, button-up shirt with a few of the top buttons undone.

"Yeah, sure," Andee said, but her voice sounded like she was in a daze or something, which should've made me suspicious. Should've being the key word here.

"She is _so_ lucky," Annabeth sighed, her voice taking on the same daze-like tone as Andee's had.

I looked over at Andee who was now dancing very seductively with this guy, grinding her hips against his. He leaned and whispered something in her ear and her lips immediately met his.

I couldn't believe this. She barely knew this guy and now she was making out with him? I think what pissed me off more was that I had let myself believe I actually had a chance with her.

"What's so special about him? He's just a guy...not even that good-looking," I commented, glaring at him.

"Jealous, Percy?" Grover mentioned.

"No," I snapped right away. "I'm just saying that he's nothing special."

"Are you kidding me?" Annabeth asked, looking me dead in the eyes. "He's godly!"

_Godly_. Grover and I exchanged looks before glancing back at Andee, whose lips were still attached to the stranger's. "He's a god," Grover and I said in unison, and Annabeth gave us a doubtful look.

"No, he's - oh my gods, he's a god!" Annabeth exclaimed, shaking off whatever spell he had put her under. It made perfect sense now. Like Ares, he made you feel a certain emotion when you were near him. And this god must have had something to do with lust. Annabeth and I must've been thinking the same thing because she said, "That's Eros."


	8. If Cupid Had a Heart

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, series, movies, or anything else related to it.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! I've decided to upload five chapters at once (so all of the author's notes will be the exact same), so make sure you read, review and favorite!**  
**

**Chapter Eight**  
**If Cupid Had a Heart**

"Who's Eros?" I asked.

"He's the god of sexual desire and lust," Annabeth explain. "He's a minor god, but he's more commonly known by his Roman name - Cupid."

"So Andee is making out with Cupid? Now that's just plain weird," Grover mentioned. Annabeth gave Grover a dirty look before looking back at Andee frantically, trying to think of a way to break her out of the spell.

That's when Annabeth got her brilliant idea.

"ANDEE!" she screamed at the top of her lungs and Andee broke away to look at Annabeth. Within that single second of eye contact with her best friend, Andee seemed to realize what was really happening.

"You sicko!" Andee yelled, pushing him away from her and storming away. She was obviously angry, but she was doing something I had never seen her do before. Her eyes were turning black and flames were appearing in them. That was something only a full god could do as far as I knew.

"Your eyes..." I mentioned and she cursed, shielding them so that no one else could see them. She reached into her bag, took out a pair of sunglasses over her eyes.

"That happens sometimes when I get angry," she mumbled as Eros casually strolled over.

"Let's take this outside, shall we?" Eros asked, a cocky grin on his face when he saw me reach for Riptide. Annabeth held onto Andee protectively as if she were real sister as they made their way outside. That the first time I truly realized how close they were. I mean, sure, Annabeth had said Andee was like a sister to her and they were practically always together, but it hadn't really clicked in my mind until now.

Eros led the way and rounded the corner so we were in an abandoned alleyway, littered with beer bottles and other garbage.

"Are you happy now that you've completely embarrassed me?" Andee growled at him.

"Just doing what my mother told me to do," he said. "She wants to make your life...interesting."

"Your stupid mother needs to stay out of my life! What I do and don't do is none of her business!" Andee yelled at him. Eros' eyes flared, much like Andee's had done before.

"I wouldn't talk about her like that," Eros said threateningly. If Eros was Cupid, then who was his mother? The answer came to me almost as quickly as I had asked myself the question - Aphrodite.

"Then tell her to leave Andee alone," Annabeth snapped at him. I think we all knew that it wasn't the smartest idea to piss off a god, no matter how major or minor they were, but I think at that moment, the thought was pushed to the back of all of our minds.

"But you see, she can't do that. Not after that Prophecy -"

"SHUT UP!" Andee screamed before lunging at him, trying to attack him. Annabeth had probably been expecting this reaction because she held Andee back, and I swear I saw Andee's eyes glowing from behind the sunglasses.

"For such a cute little thing, you've sure got a bad attitude," Eros commented, smirking at the reaction he got from Andee, which was a not-so-appropriate hand gesture.

I immediately had my sword out and pointed it at his neck. I knew gods were immortal - I'd have to be pretty stupid not to. But they could still bleed Ichor, the golden blood of the gods.

"You do not want to do that, Son of Poseidon," he warned.

"I think I do," I retorted. A sword appeared out of nowhere and into Eros' hands before he thrusted it at me. I jumped back as quickly as I could to avoid being cut by it. I knew the gods well enough to know that they'd slice you into little pieces without a second thought.

I continued fighting him, only concentrating on his word. It felt weird to be concentrating on only one thing, but I was starting to get used to it the more I was in batter. His sword had come in contact with my skin a few times now, but I hardly noticed - I was more focused on staying alive than on a few flesh wounds. And besides, I had gotten in way more good blows than he had.

The fight ended when an arrow went right through Eros' chest. I looked over at Andee who was in the same position she would be if she were drawing her bow again. Eros had a hand on his chest where the arrow had flown right through him.

"Apparently you're not the only one who can shoot an arrow," Annabeth remarked, a shadow of a smirk playing across her lips.

"Touché," he nodded wisely, a small smile on his face before he plucked the arrow out of his chest and tossed it back to Andee, who snatched it from the air and put it back safely in it's case.

"For that move, I'll help you out here - the hotel you're all staying at is by the shore, correct?" We all nodded, a bit unsure about the fact that he knew where we were staying. "That's a boat waiting there that will take you where you need to go. Of course, I won't tell you which boat and where you'll be going, but you've got about ten minutes to get there before it leaves without you." He turned and looked at me. "And don't worry, Perseus, this isn't the last time you'll see me. And next time you won't have your little girlfriend there to protect you." He snapped his fingers and disappeared along with the puddle of Ichor that had been pooling by his feet.

We all stood there in a daze before quickly realizing that we had to go. The four of us began sprinting for the shore, forgetting all about our bags. "You guys! Our bags!" I suddenly yelled, stopping in my tracks.

"Keep going, Andee and I have taken care of it!" Annabeth yelled back at me. We made it to the shore with a minute to spare, but we still had to figure out what boat it was.

"You have got to be kidding me," Grover said and pointed at one. It looked like it said _TEQSU RFO VOEL_.

"Figures he'd name it that," Andee muttered darkly.

"What does it say?" Annabeth and I demanded simultaneously.

"_QUEST FOR LOVE_," Andee said, clearly unimpressed by all of this.

"Uh guys?" Grover asked nervously. I looked over and he was standing on the deck of the boat - which was slowly drifting away from the shore. Annabeth cursed in Ancient Greek before running and jumping onto the deck, landing crouched down.

"Go," I said to Andee and she turned to face me, her hands resting on her hips.

"It's fine, you go first," she said graciously.

"Andee, just go," I argued.

"I can go last - I'm fine with that. I can easily catch up," Andee retorted.

"YOU GUYS!" Annabeth and Grover shouted in unison, catching our attention. They were already too far out for either of us to even attempt jumping.

"Looks like we're going for a swim," I said and Andee grimaced before pushing me into the water. I sunk to the ocean floor, which wasn't really that far down before I pushed myself back up to the surface, perfectly dry.

"Cheater," she muttered angrily.

"Just get in here before the boat gets too far away," I said, treading the water lightly.

"Fine," she said, plopping down on the cement as she started to take off her shoes.

"What are you doing now?" I asked.

"Saving my shoes," she said simply. She chucked them towards the boat and Annabeth caught them. She changed her little clutch back into a shoulder bag before putting it on. When she looked down at the water, a look of apprehension crossed her face. "You know, maybe I should just wait here and you guys can tell me where you are or something. I'll catch up, honestly."

"Are you afraid of the water?" I asked.

"No," she spat, rolling her eyes at me. Apparently that was a completely idiotic question and I was even more of an idiot for asking that question. Then I figured it lout.

"You're afraid of the dark," I said quietly, treading water.

"Well," she spluttered. "That is just ridiculous!" The way she said it made it perfectly clear that she was lying to me. Her fear made sense though. She was the daughter of the god of the sun, so the dark would be something that could be quite frightening.

I raised my eyebrows at her. "Okay, Percy, you got me. I'm afraid of the dark, happy now? And I'm especially afraid of being in my grandfather's enemy's turf when it's dark."

"I'll protect you, don't worry," I said.

"I don't need to be protected!" she snapped, reverting back to the same personality she had when I first met her in person. "I'm perfectly capable of defending myself, thank you very much - I've been doing it for years."

"But sometimes," I started softly, "it's good to know there's someone who's got your back - someone you can trust."

She sighed, running a hand through her curly hair. "Just make sure I don't drown. It's kind of hard to regenerate when there's water in my lungs."

"Can do," I said as she jumped in, resurfacing a few moments later with her hair soaking wet and slicked back. Her sunglasses were still covering her eyes.

"Better get going," she mumbled. "The boat's pretty far away now."

We swam in silence to the boat before climbing on board. Annabeth and Grover were ready with towels for the both of us, but I didn't need one, of course. Andee was shivering like crazy by the time we had gotten there and her lips had turned blue. She assured us that this was normal when she was in a cold environment for what her body deemed too long.

I volunteered to take the first watch and Andee said she'd that the second one before the rest of them all went below the deck, leaving me alone on top. I didn't mind, really. I really liked being near the ocean - it helped me relax.

I didn't know what time it was, but it was late into the night now. Or maybe the morning. Either way, it was dark. I heard footsteps behind me but didn't bother to turn around.

"Hi," a quiet voice said.

"Hey," I said just as quietly.

"Look, Percy," Andee started. I could tell she was struggling to find the right words. "I'm not actually like that."

"Like what?" I asked as she came down beside me under the helm of the old-fashioned boat. I looked over and she was now in the nightgown I had seen her wearing the very first time I met her. Her hair was up in a high ponytail and barely wet anymore, but her sunglasses still covered her eyes.

"Like - oh, I don't know how to describe it," she said frustratedly, holding her head in her hands and breathing loudly before leaning back. "I just - I don't go around making out with random guys and I definitely don't dance like _that_."

"I know."

"How could you poss -"

"Two reasons," I said, cutting her off. "One - I know you well enough by now to know that you're not like that at all. And two - have you ever been near Ares?"

"I don't choose to spend much time around him if I can help it," she answered vaguely.

"Me neither. But the times I've run into him, I've become so angry that most people would probably think it wasn't really me. And it was just because I was near him. So I know what you had to deal with," I told her.

"It just makes me so angry to think that I can be taken advantage of so easily, even after all of that training," she growled.

"Is that why your eyes...?" I trailed off.

"Yes," she said shortly. I turned to her and took off her sunglasses for her to immediately shield her eyes. "I look like a freak." I gently cupped her face in my hands and she kept her eyes closed.

"Open your eyes," I said softly and she slowly did so. Her eyes were as black as night except for the flames that appeared in the center of them. That's usually what happened when a full god got angry. But it explained why she had been so snappy before - she was still angry about everything that had happened.

A few tears spilled from her eyes and I gently brushed them away. She looked absolutely devastated and ashamed of herself. "Why are you crying?"

"Because I wish I hadn't been given this stupid gene. I wish I was just a normal Muggle with no clue whatsoever as to how the world really worked," she explained, her eyes never fully meeting my own.

"Muggle?" I asked, smiling.

"I love the Harry Potter books," she chuckled a bit, her eyes starting to go back to normal.

"See? All back to normal," I told her after and she smiled, rubbing at her eyes a bit.

"Normal," she repeated, sighing as she leaned her head against my shoulder. "If only that were actually attainable."

"Being normal is so overrated."

She giggled a little. "I guess you're right," she stated before looking down at my chest. "You're bleeding."

"What?" I asked, looking down to see blood seeping through my shirt. Usually the salt water would've healed it, but maybe the water here was just a little too polluted. "I guess Eros actually cut me after all." I took off my shirt to get a better look and saw that there were a few, long gashes along my chest. "Didn't even notice."

"Do you mind?" Andee asked and I shrugged. She climbed on top of me so she was straddling me and could look at my chest properly. "This might hurt a bit." She pressed her hands to my chest and I felt like my body was on fire. Just as I was going to tell her stop, the pain ended. "All done."

She looked a lot more tired now, and lingered a bit longer on my lap, letting her hands trail down my bare chest. She kind of slid off my lap in the opposite direction and wrapped her arms around me, falling asleep on my shoulder. I guess any time you use an ability like that instead of just fighting, it takes a lot out of you, no matter how strong you are. As I looked at Andee, I could relate to her wish to be normal. It would save me a whole lot of trouble, that's for sure.


	9. Halfway Around the World in One Night

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, series, movies, or anything else related to it.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! I've decided to upload five chapters at once (so all of the author's notes will be the exact same), so make sure you read, review and favorite!

**Chapter Nine**  
**Halfway Around the World in One Night**

"That's an interesting position, you two," a voice said, waking me out of a dead sleep. When I opened my eyes, I saw Annabeth standing right in front of me, a smirk plastered on her face. When I was finally able to understand what she had said, I looked over to see that I had my arm around Andee, holding her tightly against me, and her arms were wrapped around my torso again. At least we were spooning this time.

"Good morning Annabeth, why are you disturbing my perfectly delightful sleep?" Andee asked. Annabeth gave her a look. "Well, Annabeth, a good explanation as to the position we're in is that Percy just so happens to be a very comfortable person," Andee said as she stood up and stretched. Sometimes I wondered how Andee and Annabeth always seemed to know what the other was thinking. "He's like a...a water bed!" She gasped suddenly. "Did you know Percy has a water bed back at camp?"

"Hmm, and how did you come about this little tidbit of information?" Annabeth asked suspiciously, looking mostly at me as I followed Andee's lead and stood up.

"Because we're getting married, of course!" Andee said cheerfully, flinging her arms around my neck. Wow, she was definitely a morning person. Too bad I couldn't say the same thing about myself. "Now, if we're done discussing my future wedding plans with Percy for the day, I'm going to go get dressed."

"Andee, what about the rest of our stuff?" I asked. "Annabeth said the two of you took care of it."

"Right!" she exclaimed before looking through her bag and producing three backpacks a few minutes later. "There y'are. Now, I'll just be on my way."

Andee skipped away and Annabeth gave me a dirty look. "What?"

"She's been in your cabin?" Annabeth asked, her eyebrows practically disappearing from her forehead. "Better yet, she's been on your _bed_?"

It was common knowledge amongst the campers that the number one rule was that no one was allowed to be alone in a cabin with a member of the opposite sex, unless they were a sibling. Well...I think that rule might come after no killing or maiming the other campers, but still, it's pretty high up on the list.

"It's not how you think it is," I told her and she looked at me doubtfully. "Andee was having this...nightmare, I guess you could call it. Although, it was way more realistic than an actual nightmare," I said thoughtfully, thinking back to the deep cuts that appeared on her arms and legs. "Anyways, she had this 'nightmare' and couldn't sleep, so I invited her to come sleep in my cabin so she wasn't alone."

"And she just so happened to sleep in _your_ bed," Annabeth stated.

"That was her doing, not mine," I defended.

"You just didn't say anything against it," Annabeth said.

"What are you trying to prove, Annabeth?" I sighed, knowing my question was pointless. I knew exactly what she was trying to prove and I didn't like it. "I like her, alright?"

"Percy, it's just -" Annabeth paused, sighing deeply. "You can't be with her. It would never work."

"Oh yeah?" I asked, starting to feel a little threatened. "And why is that?" I never got an answer because it was right at that moment when something collided with the shipping, knocking us off our feet.

"What in Olympus was that?" Grover asked, coming up to the deck. He was using his crutches, which meant that he didn't want anyone to see him in satyr-form if we were anywhere near land.

"No idea," I muttered as it happened again, shaking the whole boat. I uncapped Riptide and stood ready to fight whatever was disturbing us. What I saw next - well, I wasn't really expecting that.

This thing had huge eyes and a sharp snout that jutted out from its face. It looked king of like a shark but with a spiny back and an undulating (big word, I should get an award!) tail. It had a crooked but thick neck, and it was at least five times the size of our dinky little boat, if not more. It opened its mouth and revealed three rows of sharp teeth.

"_Di immortales_," Annabeth cursed in Ancient Greek, her dagger out and ready.

"So anyone want to take a guess as to what it is?" I asked, my sword out in front of me.

"Well, it came from the ocean and you're the son of Poseidon, so your guess is probably better than either of ours will be," Grover mentioned, his pipes at the ready. Not sure how much damage they could do in the middle of the ocean. Then again, there were still plants in the ocean, so what did I know?

The monster slapped its tail against the surface of the ocean and a huge wave came heading towards the boat, building momentum as it came closer.

"Hold onto something!" I yelled. Out of my peripheral vision, I saw Annabeth and Grover lunge for the sides of the boat. I concentrated all my energy on floating on top of the waves. The water knocked into the boat, but I used every bit of concentration I had to make sure it didn't flip over. None of us had seen Andee since she went below the deck, so I needed to make sure nothing bad happened to her.

When the water had settled enough, I tried to get in a shot. Every time I stabbed it, it was like it had no effect on it at all. Annabeth tried stabbing it with her dagger and still nothing happened. It seemed like we had just gotten ourselves into a losing battle.

The water picking up as the monster willed it to, rocking the boat harder than before. We all had to grab onto something - even me - to stop ourselves from falling overboard. It was a lot harder to control the water when someone or something was already doing it. The clashing wills usually ended up in some sort of a disaster.

"What the Hades is going on up here?" Andee asked, walking on to the deck of the boat and swinging her bag around. When I looked back at her, I saw that she was still towel drying her hair. She looked up and saw the monster. "Oh shit."

Here's the thing about Andee - she was always on her game. I didn't think there was any kind of monster that could freak her out. But this thing did. She dropped all of her stuff and stared at it in shock before exclaiming, "Are you kidding me?"

Apparently the monster wasn't kidding, because in one swift motion it picked her up by the foot. She gasped in pain as she hung upside down, trying desperately to get out of its grip. "It's Ketos, the sea monster!" Andee yelled at us, pulling herself up to try to wrench her foot away. "You need to use arrows, and preferably before it eats my foot!"

I ran to Andee's dropped belongings and found her bow and arrows, picking them up and getting into the proper position. I thought back to the day when I had been getting Andee to help me during one of the archery lessons and aimed, praying to the gods I wouldn't hit her.

I mean, I know it wouldn't really matter if I hit her because she would just heal afterwards, but it would still hurt and probably wouldn't help her get away any faster. I released the arrow and the monster roared, dropping Andee back onto the ship of the boat. I shot another one for good measure and it exploded into gold dust.

I rushed to where Annabeth was helping Andee and saw that Ketos had bitten right through her ankle, exposing the muscle, and even some of the bone that lay underneath. Annabeth fed Andee ambrosia and made her drink nectar to help speed up the healing process, but the weird thing was, they were barely paying attention to the injury. They were talking in quiet voices, occasionally glancing at the slowly healing ankle.

"How are you feeling?" I interrupted.

"Fine," Andee said shortly, her eyes focused on the muscle and tissue that was regenerating on her ankle. She stayed silent after that, limping to the other side of the boat as soon as it was healed enough.

"What's with Andee?" I asked Annabeth.

"That monster just isn't one of her favorites," Annabeth said and I could tell she was lying. I figured I'd let it slide because she was obviously hiding something for a reason.

"What's the story behind it?"

"Well, Queen Cassiopeia liked to brag that her daughter was the most beautiful woman in the world, even more beautiful than the nereids. That angered your father, so he sent Cetus to destroy her land. Obviously Queen Cassiopeia didn't want this to happen, so she chained her daughter to the rocks as a sacrificial offering to Poseidon and Cetus," Annabeth explained.

"So she died?"

"No, actually, Perseus saved her just in time by turning Cetus to stone with Medusa's head, and then fell in love with the girl, so they got married," Annabeth explained. "I'm surprised you don't know the story, it's about your namesake after all."

"So why does Andee hate Cetus then? Other than the obvious fact that he's a monster," I said.

Annabeth looked a little uncomfortable before saying, "It's not so much the monster as it is the story. She just thinks it's stupid, that's all."

Annabeth went to go join Andee at the other end of the boat where they talked quietly to themselves until Andee shouted, "Land!" and pointed ahead of us. I looked to the bow and saw a land mass approaching fast. I concentrated on getting the boat there faster and the waves did as I commanded. Once we got to the dock, I jumped out and tied the boat down. It was probably a useless action, though, seeing as how it was Eros' boat and would probably disappear when no one was looking.

Everyone got off the boat and stepped onto the sidewalk, watching as people walked by. "Where - where are we?" Annabeth asked, looking all around as Grover adjusted his crutches.

"Not the faintest idea," Grover said.

"I recognize this place," Andee said softly, turning in circles to look at everything.

"We could get a map," Annabeth suggested.

"Since when have we ever needed a map? We couldn't even read one if we tried!" I exclaimed.

"It was just a suggestion!" Annabeth snapped at me, her cheeks turning red with anger.

"You guys," Andee said, her body quivering with excitement. "I recognize this place. It was a pretty long time ago, but I'd recognize this place anywhere."

"What are you talking about?" Annabeth asked right before Andee ran into the middle of the street.

"Andee, what are you doing?" I asked.

She was crazy. She was literally _out of her mind_. She had this huge grin on her face as she spun around a few times, her arms in the air. She then cupped her hands around her mouth and screamed something that sounded like "Yeah Sue!" A bunch of people walking by smiled, laughed and said the same thing back to her.

"You guys! Do you have any idea where we are?" Andee asked excitedly, bouncing up and down. We all just stared at her blankly. "We're in Greece!"


	10. Happy Little Working Song

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, series, movies, or anything else related to it.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! I've decided to upload five chapters at once (so all of the author's notes will be the exact same), so make sure you read, review and favorite!**  
**

**Chapter Ten**  
**Happy Little Working Song**

"We're in Greece!" Andee exclaimed happily, her smile like a one thousand watt light bulb.

"How could we have possibly sailed to Greece in one night?" Annabeth asked incredulously, taking in the foreign surroundings.

"Magic, of course!" Andee said. The way she said it made it seem like it was the most obvious thing. She was jumping up and down ecstatically, clapping her hands together. "I know _exactly_ where we need to go!"

"Where?" Grover asked.

"Oh, I can't tell you that - it's a secret," Andee said seriously before running across the street, completely oblivious to the traffic around her. She approached one of the sales people and talked to them in what I guessed was Greek, making wild hand gestures the whole time. The person seemed to understand and responded back, pointing in a certain direction. He made different movements with his hands and arms, and Andee nodded before skipping back over to us.

"So where are we exactly?" I asked, looking around.

"Skiathos Port," Andee muttered, looking down the street. "Okay," she said, a relived smile appearing on her face after a long silence where her hands drew something in the air. "It should take on, maybe two days walking distance to get to a place where we can stay for a while. It's just outside of town, but we should probably go through the forests once it gets darker so it doesn't look too suspicious."

"Finally - a plan," Annabeth said and Andee stuck her tongue out at her. So we started walking down the road and no one even cast us a second glance. Andee produced a camera from her bag and was taking pictures of everything as we walked, still managing to keep up the fastest pace.

"You like photography?" I asked, walking alongside her.

"Yeah, I love it," she said, snapping a few pictures of our group.

"Gods, Andee!" Annabeth said, not expecting the bright flash of light that hit her eyes. Andee just continued smiling and taking pictures of all sorts of things - stores, the ocean, people, and all sorts of other things that were going on all around us.

We were making good time and had made it to the forest when it started to get dark. "We should probably use what little daylight we have left to set up camp," Grover suggested. Everyone agreed, setting all the bags down on the ground.

"So we need to figure out or sleeping arrangements and think of making a fire," Annabeth said, immediately taking charge of the situation like she always did.

Andee dug through her bag before pulling out a small case and tossing it to Annabeth. "Tent," she said to answer Annabeth's questioning look. "It's going to rain tonight."

"I love how you know these things," Annabeth said and Andee smiled, wiggling her eyebrows a little. Annabeth quickly worked on setting up our temporary camp, refusing any help because we'd "just get in the way". By the end, the tent was set up off to the side and under the shelter of some trees, while some large logs say in a circle around where the fire would go.

"How are you going to make a -"

Andee snapped her fingers and the ground burst into flames. Grover and I stared at her in astonishment. "My dad is the god of sun, which is light _and_ fire. So I get to have a wee bit more power than most people do."

"We see that," Grover said, sitting down on one of the logs. I stared into the bright, dancing flames. I glanced over and saw how the fire illuminated Andee's face, making it look even more beautiful than normal. Her eyes glowed as she gazed into the flame and every little detail of her face was lit up.

"So what's your plan from here, Dee?" Annabeth asked.

"Well," Andee started, "we're going to pack up in the morning as quickly as possible and get moving again. We should get there by midday tomorrow."

"Where is 'there'?" Grover asked.

"Why is it so important?" Andee retorted.

"Well...because...because I want to know!" Grover spluttered.

"That's all fine and dandy, but where are we're going is not nearly as important as getting there in one piece," Andee said, watching the fire as Annabeth opened her backpack and pulled out some food for everyone.

We all ate our dinner in silence before Annabeth and Grover both announced that they were going to sleep for the night, so whoever wanted watch duty could have it first. Andee remained silent, staring up at the sky. She almost looked like she was praying. "I like looking at the stars because each constellation tells its own little story," Andee said quietly.

I nodded my agreement as I looked at the twinkly lights in the sky. I moved over to sit beside her. "How did your mom die?" I asked, having thought about that conversation a lot lately. I mean, it's hard not to when someone says that they killed their own mother.

She glanced over at me and looked away again. "My mom had a Prophecy about her stating that she wouldn't live past the age of eighteen. So when she met my dad, fell in love with him, and became pregnant with his child at eighteen, she was worried that she was going to die before she was ever able to give birth to me. She died the minute before she was supposed to turn nineteen, and the same minute I was born."

"That doesn't mean you killed her," I said softly.

"Yes, it does. I'm the reason there was even a Prophecy made. As I grew inside her, I grew stronger and stronger, and my powers kept building up. As soon as I was born, everything exploded and that's what killed her," Andee said, hugging her knees to her chest. "I just wish I could spend one day with her, just to find out what she was like, what she thought of me, and all that. If she was proud of me and what I've done. Being here makes me think about her a lot more than I usually do."

"Andee, I have no doubt in my mind that she would've been proud of you. You are this strong, beautiful girl that is amazing in every way," I said, gently touching her cheek.

I leaned in and was just about to put my lips to hers when she said, "I can't." I stopped dead in my tracks, our faces so close that our noses were touching. Her voice sounded tight, almost like she didn't want to say it. "I'm sorry, but I just can't." She quickly stood and crawled into the tent, leaving me sitting there by myself. And as if to smite me even more, it started to rain.

I sighed frustratedly and ran a hand through my now damp hair. I climbed into the tent, glancing over at Andee to see if she might still be awake, but she was already in her sleeping bag and had her face covered by her hair.

I got into my own sleeping bag at the other end of the tent, and as I settled down and started to fall asleep, I could've sworn I heard crying from over where the girls were. Then again, I could've just been imagining it.

_I was in an empty room, but upon further investigation, I saw a golden sarcophagus at the other side of the room. I shivered, knowing what this was, but felt my legs walking towards it anyways. The sarcophagus opened as I got closer and inside I could see Luke's body, eyes closed but glowing an unnatural looking goldish-green color._

The girl is mine_; I heard emanate from the body. _There is nothing you can do protect her_. _

_Within a heart-wrenching second, I knew he meant Andee. My Andee. The beautiful girl that kept rejecting in me in every way known to man, and then some. The funny thing was, I knew I was in love with her, and knew that I wouldn't be able to give up until I had finally gotten her. Until I could rightfully call her mine._

_"You will never have her," I growled at him. "I'll kill you before you ever lay a finger on her."_

_A horrible laughing resounded through the room and a hollow feeling filled my chest. _It doesn't matter what you do now, she's already in my grip. It's just a matter of time_, Kronos said_, _laughing._

I woke with a jolt, looking around the tent as if Kronos was going to be right there, taking Andee away. She was still fast asleep, mumbling away.

"I'm a human nectarine? Well, that's very interesting, Mr. Monkey," Andee murmured in her sleep. Annabeth rolled over and looked at Andee through her sleepy haze.

"Does she usually do this?" Grover asked Annabeth. Apparently this had been going on for awhile because Grover was completely awake.

"Yeah, when she's dreaming she's either deathly silent or she starts babbling nonsense. She has a lot of really weird dreams." Annabeth looked as if she had had to deal with this quite often. "When she has nightmares, she screams like a banshee."

I could've told you that one.

"Well I would love to have tea, but the dormouse is in the sugar!" Andee exclaimed loudly, throwing her arms out dramatically and almost hitting Annabeth in the face.

"Alice in Wonderland?" Grover asked, getting the reference right away. We were all watching her now, pretty amused by what she was doing.

"Apparently," Annabeth looked at her best friend before flopping back down on her sleeping bag. "Shut up, Andee, the rest of us are trying to sleep."

"Get out of my dream, Annabeth! You're not welcome here - you're not crazy enough!" Andee shouted. Annabeth threw a pillow at Andee's head before turning over. We all attempted to go back to sleep, ignoring Andee's insane mutterings, but all I could do was think about was what Kronos had said.

_It doesn't matter what you do now, she's already in my grip. It's just a matter of time._

I woke up the next morning to the sun shining brightly in my eyes, blinding me. I was exhausted, but I sat up anyways and stretched out my back. Trying to sleep on ground like this really wasn't good for sleeping patterns or your back muscles, I've discovered. I took a cursory glance and saw that Andee was missing.

My heart started beating way faster than normal and blood was pounding in my ears. He had gotten her. Kronos had come here and taken her from right under my nose. I bolted out of the tent in bare feet to go and look for. They could be anywhere now. I heard humming and saw Andee tending to the fire, humming a song from "Enchanted".

"Gods, Andee, you can't do that!" I said, finally able to breathe now that I knew she was safe. I guess it made more sense that she hadn't been kidnapped by Kronos because if he had come here, I'm pretty sure he would've killed me in my sleep.

"I can't sing a happy working song?" Andee asked, a look of panic plastered on her face at the very thought.

"Yes, you can," I said, laughing a little at how strange she was.

"Good, because working would be so boring without being able to sing a happy little working song," Andee stated seriously.

"You really are something else, you know that?" I asked and she smiled brightly at me, crossing her eyes slightly. It was as if last night had never happened for her. "What I meant was that you can't just disappear like that without some of a warning. For all I knew, you could've been kidnapped, or even killed."

She smiled a little before coming over and hugging me tightly. She pulled back and looked at me. "That's very sweet of you to worry about me like that, but I can't actually be killed."

"Either way."

"Well, I'm sorry, _dad_," she taunted as Grover and Annabeth got up.

"Could you two have made any more noise?" Annabeth growled, rubbing her head.

"I'm so sorry I woke up. How could I ever do such a thing in the _morning_?" Andee asked sarcastically. Annabeth rolled her eyes at her best friend. Andee leaned towards me and whispered, "She gets really grumpy in the morning, especially if she's woken up by people talking."

"I see that now," I said, laughing as Annabeth scowled at us.


	11. We Get to Our Mystery Destination

**Disclaimer:** Hey everyone! So here is the next chapter and before you ask, no, I have not read Son of Neptune yet, so please, please don't spoil it! I think I'm getting it for Christmas, and I just want to wait until I can have that nice book in my hands. So no spoilers, because I also have many plans for what will happen in the sequel to this fanfic. So please review, favorite, alert, and all that jazz, and I shall see you all soon!

**Chapter Eleven**  
**We Get To Our Mystery Destination**

We all skipped breakfast to pack up everything and get to our mystery destination as quick as possible. Andee began to lead us through the forest, skipping and singing at the top of her lungs. She tried to get us to sing along but that didn't really work the way she had planned. Being Andee, she shrugged it off and just kept going.

"Andee, where are we going?" Grover complained after about an hour of walking.

"We're almost there, don't get your panties in a bunch," Andee said as she continued skipping down the road. I didn't know how someone could skip for an hour straight, but apparently this was just one of the many impossible things that Andee was capable of.

We were in the middle of a bunch of really old-looking Greek villages where all the houses were crowded on a cliff top with winding stone streets just like you'd see in the movies. Andee stopped about an hour later in front of one of the many look-a-like houses that had the traditional Greek style to them.

It wasn't anywhere near the other houses, though. It was right on the coast, so close that you could see the startling blue of the Aegean Sea behind it. It had blue window panes and red roofing. There were green plants hanging down from the roof, and around the back you could see orange and lemon trees. Overall it was a really beautiful place.

"It hasn't changed at all," Andee breathed, her smile reaching from ear to ear.

"So you've been here before?" I asked and she just winked at me before taking a deep breath and walking up to the front door. She knocked a few times before waiting. An older lady opened the door. She had grey hair that was tied back in a sloppy bun, and her skin had definite wrinkles, but she looked so loving and caring. You could also tell that she had been quite attractive back when she was younger.

"Oh my..." the woman said in a thick Greek accent upon seeing Andee. She brought her into a tight hug, and when she pulled away, I noticed the lady head tears in her eyes. "You look just like your mother did at that age. How have you been, Andee?"

"I've been okay," she told the older woman. "I'm sorry to surprise you like this, but it's one of those times where we need somewhere to stay," Andee said quietly when an older man appeared behind the lady.

"Come on in," the older lady said. "All of you, come in." We all piled into the little foyer at the front of the house. "Why don't you all go get cleaned up and when you come back downstairs, I'll have something ready for you all to eat."

Andee began showing us where all the bathrooms were so that we could get changed and showered. Grover and I would be staying in a room together while Andee and Annabeth both had their own separate rooms. Andee and Annabeth would be sharing a bathroom while Grover and I did the same with each other.

Everyone quickly showered and re-dressed. When I saw Andee again, she was wearing a light blue, silk tunic- style shirt with a golden floral embellishment around the neckline. The shirt had a split neckline that revealed just a hint of cleavage, had balloons sleeves, and an empire waistline. She also had on a pair of destroyed, cut-off short shorts that were almost completely hidden beneath her shirt. She wore some high-heeled gladiator sandals on her feet and had her sunglasses resting in her now wavy hair.

"You look really great," I told her. She just smiled and took my hand before leading me back downstairs. I didn't understand why she was holding, but I definitely didn't mind it - it felt right.

"Yaya, Popa, this is my friend, Percy," she introduced as we walked into the kitchen while the elderly couple continued cooking. They turned around and smiled at me.

"It's very nice to meet you, Percy," the lady said, a knowing smile on her face. "Just call me Yaya, and my husband Popa. Why don't you take a seat while we wait for the others to come down?"

"Okay," Andee said, sitting down at the table and signaling for me to join her. I looked out the back door and all I could see was the Aegean Sea sparking just a few yards away. "You can go down soon, I promise."

I looked at Andee who was smiling, and trying to hide it behind her hand. "How did you know?"

"Percy, you are the Son of Poseidon and you absolutely love water - it doesn't take a genius to figure out that you want to go to the sea. And besides, look at what your hand's doing," she said, her cheeks turning a little pink. I looked down to see that my hand was fidgeting - on Andee's thigh.

"Oh! Um...sorry about that," I muttered, snatching my hand back as my cheeks became hot.

"Don't worry about it," she said just as Annabeth and Grover came downstairs. "Yaya, Popa, you know Annabeth, and this is our other friend, Grover."

"Hello again, Annabeth," Popa said in a thick Greek accent, much like his wife's, only thicker. "And Grover, it is nice to meet you."

"Isn't Papou the Greek name for 'grandpa'?" Grover asked.

"Technically, yes. But when I was little, I got it mixed up and it's kind of stuck over the years," Andee explained as Yaya brought over a plate of something. "Batter-fried zucchini," Andee told Grover and me, who were looking at it suspiciously.

"So Andee, what is going on?" Yaya asked her and Andee glanced at Popa nervously. "Don't worry, I told him everything a few years ago when you weren't able to come every summer."

"Okay, well..." Andee went into a long-winded description of the quest we had been given and what we've been through so far. "And now I just have to wait for another sign, but I have no idea when that might come."

"Well, you can stay for as long as you need, _Egoni_," Yaya told her and Andee smiled.

"If you need help with anything, I'm more than willing to help," Andee volunteered.

"Thank you, _Paidi Mou_," Popa said, smiling at his granddaughter. "If you would like to explore the area some more, I want you all to feel free to."

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm going for a swim," I announced.

"Have fun with that," Andee said, taking another bite of the zucchini.

"What about you two?" I asked Annabeth and Grover.

"I think it's smarter if I _don't _go swimming," Annabeth said. "The whole Poseidon-Athena thing."

"Yeah, I don't think I'm going either. I'm more of a land-dweller," Grover said.

"Andee," I said, grinning at her.

"No."

"Come on."

"No."

"You know you want to."

"You know, I really don't."

"I could get eaten by a sea monster if you don't come out."

"Nah, you're probably a little too salty for a sea monster's liking," Andee said offhandedly, standing up to walk away

"Funny," I said sarcastically, standing up as she went to leave the room. I picked her up by the waist and tossed her over my shoulder.

"Let me go!" Andee shrieked, pounding her fists on my back. I could tell by the way she was hitting that she was joking around because I knew she could take me out if she wanted to.

"Yaya, Popa, you know, you've got a really great granddaughter, but I think she just needs to warm up a bit," I said, and they just laughed and continued with what they were doing.

I continued walking outside with Andee on my shoulder, and she kept laughing and "trying" to escape. Andee's grandparents had a large backyard with multiple gardens that had different fruits, vegetables, and flowers growing in them. The one thing that stood out from everything else was a big tree that was entirely covered with light purple flowers that looked a little like bells.

There was a little metal nameplate on the trunk that I couldn't see from where I was standing, but it really intrigued me for some reason.

"Percy, put me down! I'll go swimming with you, alright?"

"Fine," I said, putting her down on the ground, even though we were already at the top of the stairs that led down to the little pier. She shot me a sly grin and went sprinting down them. I was certain she was going to trip and go flying, so when she reached the bottom of the stairs, I let out a breath of relief that I didn't even realize I had been holding.

I whipped off my shirt and when I could see again, Andee had just taken off her shorts and was just in the process of taking off her own shirt. When it was off, she was standing in just a gold bikini. I got the intense feeling that I was going to need to get in the water sooner rather than later.

She had a completely toned stomach with a sun-shaped bellybutton ring dangling from her naval that matched her necklace almost exactly. She had a tattoo on her lower back that said " Ανδρομεδη" (I knew it was Ancient Greek, but I've never been really good at reading it) with some stars surrounding it, as well as a fancy sun on her shoulder. But my eyes drifted down to her hip where there was a huge scar, marring her otherwise flawless skin. It looked like something had tried to take a bite out of her.

"You're not very subtle," Andee muttered, leaning over to take off her shoes.

"I thought you couldn't get..." I trailed off. It wasn't really an excuse for staring at her, but more my thoughts being spoken out loud.

"I can't - well, not really," she said, slipping out of her shoes. "Every superhero has their weakness, right? Superman has kryptonite, Spiderman has his sense of responsibility, the Dragonfly with titanium steel, and Achilles' has his one spot of vulnerability - his heel."

"So what's your weakness?" I asked as she sat on the ledge of the pier, dipping her toes into the cool water.

"Hellhounds," she whispered, as if she were afraid something would happen if anyone heard her.

"So what happened to give you that scar?" I asked as she let her hand wander to it, gently rubbing it. I had to admit, it was probably the worst scar I had ever seen on someone.

"When I was about ten, I was walking home from school by myself for the first time. I was about a block away from home when something attacked me. I did my best to try and fight it off, but at that point I had just finished learning how to control my powers - not how to fight.

"It grabbed me in its mouth by my hip and started shaking me like some sort of...dog toy or something. My aunt heard me screaming and came running, and she killed it. But I was dropped to the ground.

"I started losing blood really fast and Val didn't know what to do because I had never gotten hurt before. I was taken to the hospital and...and I almost died. I had never been sick or hurt before so something like that affected my body really badly.

"My body started shutting down part by part and it was terrifying because one day I could do something or remember something, and then the next day I couldn't do anything. Everyone thought I was going to die, but you know me, I like to surprise people. So once it had been stitched up and I had been given some mortal drugs as well as some ambrosia and nectar, I started healing. And as you can clearly see, I made a full recovery," Andee explained. "Although, I'm terrified of dogs now - especially hellhounds."

"Wow," I said after a few moments of silence. I remembered that when I was talking to Annabeth about Andee before, she mentioned that something could hurt Andee, but refused to say what it was because it had been such a traumatizing event for Andee and she didn't discuss it with a lot of people. But she had just told me everything about it... "That must've been really scary."

"That's an understatement," she said simply, an odd look in her eyes. She shook her head as if shaking it off. "Come on, let's swim!"


	12. Meeting Micah

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, movies, series, characters, or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! I'm back (and having survived my first experience with University finals) with a new chapter! I hope you enjoy and don't forget to leave a review! It really does mean a lot to me to hear what you think, so reviews are very welcome and suggested :)

**Chapter Twelve**  
**Meeting Micah**

Andee and I messed around for hours, just splashing each other and swimming around. I also showed Andee what the bottom of the ocean looks like by encasing us in an air bubble, and she was amazed. After a few hours, we both decided we should probably go back inside.

So after putting our clothes back on, we walked up to the house, laughing the whole time.

"You two seemed to have a good time," Andee's grandmother said, smiling at us.

"He can go to the bottom of the ocean and still breathe!" Andee exclaimed happily.

"That's very impressive," Yaya said, before grabbing a piece of paper off the fridge. "Andee, do you mind running a few errands for me?"

Andee took the list and gave it a quick look-over. "Sure, Yaya. I'll be back before dinner."

"Wait - do you want someone to come with you? That's a lot of stuff for one person to carry," I said. I think we all know that I just wanted to spend more time with her, to prove to her what a good guy I was. And it was safer to go in pairs, especially for half-bloods. But I really just wanted to spend more time with her.

"Yeah, that's true," Andee said thoughtfully, grabbing a pair of keys off a hook on the wall, twirling them around her finger. "One sec." She ran upstairs and came back down a few moments later with her bag slung over her shoulders. "Just in case."

She led me through one of the doors in the house to a garage where there were two cars, and a cerulean blue and silver moped parked inside.

"It's still here," she breathed, obviously happy. She rushed over to the moped and wrapped her arms around it. "I thought I'd never get to drive you, Bartholomew."

"Bartholomew?" I repeated slowly, not sure if I had heard her right.

"Yes, that's the name of my moped," Andee said, grabbing a rag off of one of the shelves and wiping the moped down to get any dust off. She mounted it and put the key in the ignition, a low rumble coming from its engine. "Popa must've been taking care of it."

"Aren't you too young to be driving that?" I asked.

"Legal age in Greece is sixteen," Andee said, climbing onto the moped. "Get on."

"No helmet?" I asked her.

"There's a helmet there if you really want one," Andee said, indicating a black helmet sitting on a shelf.

"I kind of meant for you."

"Since when do I need a helmet?" she asked as I put the helmet back on the shelf. "Ooo, taking a risk?"

"Just don't crash," I said, climbing on behind her.

"Can't promise you anything," she winked at me. "You're going to want to hold on." I had barely wrapped my arms around her midsection before she took off on the moped, going faster than I had ever gone on anything before. Her hair flew behind her, almost hitting me in the face. I rested my chin on her shoulder.

I didn't know how much longer I could do this for. I didn't know how much longer I could be so close to Andee, but not have anything romantic going on between us. I was in love with her. I knew that for sure now. And I would probably do anything to be with her, but she didn't know that. No one really knew that except for me.

As we got to the marketplace, Andee slowed down and parked the moped on the side of the road. The marketplace was buzzing with people and Andee and I made our way through.

"So what's first on the list?" I asked her.

"Let me check," she said, pulling the list out of her back pocket. "Okay, the first thing on the list is - oh, look! A vintage shop! Let's go in and look!"

"I think we should probably get the stuff on the -"

"Come on, Percy!" she begged. "We have time - let's have some fun for once!"

I looked down at the list in Andee's hands - there wasn't that much on it anyways. "Fine."

"Yay!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together happily. "See, I knew you were fun!" She took hold of my hand and ran across the busy street, putting us both into the middle of the extremely busy street. She turned around and smiled at me before leading me into the little shop.

We walked in the store and everything seemed to be covered in a thick layer of dust, like it had been there for ages. Very little natural light was let in between all the crowded shelves and racks. I suddenly felt very claustrophobic.

"Wow," Andee breathed as she looked around in amazement. Apparently all of this junk was interesting to her.

"I don't get it," I said and she turned to face me.

"You don't get what?" she asked.

"Why is all of this so fascinating to you?" I questioned.

"Because...because everything has a story, whether we know it or not. Like...this dress!" she exclaimed, picking up a very frilly, old-fashioned wedding dress. "This dress could've been worn on someone's wedding, and that wedding could've been the best day of her life! Or the worst! Or maybe she was waiting for her fiancé to come to the chapel when someone brought the news that her soon-to-be husband was killed in a horrific accident!"

"It's kind of disturbing that you would even think of that," I said and she smiled a Cheshire cat grin.

"Well, you'll soon find out that I can be a very disturbing person," Andee said.

"I look forward to it."

"Good," Andee said, still smiling at me. That was a sight I could definitely get used to. "Now, let's try on some of these old clothes and see how we'd look if we were born in a different era!"

"You are so strange," I said as she started grabbing things off the different racks and dragged me to the back of the store. There were three dressing rooms in the back with just curtains to keep the inside of each room private. There were a few seats facing them and a mirror behind those.

She split up the pile of clothes and handed half to be before pushing me into one of the changing stalls. After trying on a bunch of outfits from just about every decade and getting pictures of each one, Andee let me leave the store after she had bought a few of the outfits she had really liked. Not sure when she'd actually wear them, but oh well.

"Oh look! Sunglasses!" Andee exclaimed, and once again she bolted across the street, bringing me with her. We were almost hit by several cars but Andee didn't seem to notice - she was too focused on the sunglasses stand.

We got there and she starting laughing and pointing out pairs that she thought were funny. She put on a pair of sunglasses that were red, and each lens was shaped like a pair of lips with little teeth on the top and bottom.

"Oh dear gods," I said and she smiled goofily as I took a picture. She tried on a few more silly pairs before looking at a certain pair thoughtfully.

"These would look really good on you," she said, holding up a pair of black framed sunglasses like the kind you saw a lot of celebrities wearing nowadays. She lipped them on over my eyes and smiled. "I was right! You look hot in those."

I knew that it was a compliment, but that was something I wasn't really used to hearing from Andee.

"Come on! Picture!" Andee aid, whipping out her camera again and taking a picture of me wearing them. She went to the vendor and spoke to him in Greek so fluently you'd think it was her first language. He said something back and she dug around in her bag before taking out her wallet.

"Wait, you don't have to get me these," I said, even though I really liked them. I never had many occasions to wear sunglasses anyways.

"I know," she said simply, taking out however many Euros it cost and handed it to the guy. "And now," she said, taking the glasses for a moment to rip off the tag, "these sunglasses belong to the one and only Percy Jackson, courtesy of the lovely Andee le Fay."

"Honestly, I don't need these," I argued. I didn't really like accepting things from people - it always felt weird to me.

"Yes, you do. You see, the sun is quite bright in Greece, and who knows how long we'll be here for! So your eyes need to be protected," Andee explained. "And besides, I _really_ like how they look on you. Not because they're covering your eyes or anything, but just because they really suit you. And look at it this way, now I can steal them from you whenever I want."

"You're a goof." She gave me an equally goofy smile for that comment.

"Andee?" someone said in the distance. I looked over and saw a tall guy with light brown hair in just a pair of swimming trunks. He looked like he was on steroids and every girl on the street was ogling him.

"Micah?" Andee asked, her voice taking on a Greek accent. He ran up and hugged her, lifting her in his arms before kissing her on both cheeks. They started speaking to each other in rapid Greek, smiling hugely and Andee never let go of his arm. He would say something and make her blush while other times she would smack his chest. She something excitedly before grabbing his wrist and bringing him over to me.

She grabbed him by the wrist. Not by the hand like she seemed to be doing with me a lot lately, but by the wrist. Maybe my ADHD was just acting up, but I was starting to think that my chances weren't so bad after all...

"Micah, this is Percy, and Percy, this is my friend, Micah. He was my best friend when we were kids because he used to be my Yaya and Popa's neighbor!" Her voice had gone back to its regular Canadian accent.

"She was the little girl who lived next door who always wore these little blonde pigtails wherever she went," Micah said in a thick Greek accent, resting his hand on Andee's shoulder.

"And he was the annoying brat who always came over and pulled on my pigtails," Andee said, giving him one of those looks I had seen her give people quite a few times now. "Oh, look! That place has stuff that's actually on the list to get! I shall be right back, but you two - talk!"

She skipped across the street and went into the small market. So I was left here with Micah, both of us standing here awkwardly, waiting for the other to say something first.

"So, you are Andee's...oh, how do you say it...boyfriend?" he asked and I almost choked on my own saliva. Me? Andee's boyfriend? I mean, sure, I was trying, but it was very unlikely to ever happen.

"No, we're just friends," I said.

"Just friends...the bane of a man's existence," Micah said knowingly. "I have a solution for you. See this?" he asked, ripping a flyer off of a nearby telephone pole. He shoved it into my hands so I could look at it, but I couldn't read any of it because it was all in Greek, and even if it had been in English, the dyslexia still would've prevented me from reading it. The only way I could've read it would be if it was in Ancient Greek, and even then, I'd still have a bit of trouble.

"I can't read what it says," I said quietly.

"Right! You do not speak Greek!" he exclaimed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Okay, so every year since before I was even born, our little town has had this...festival, right down this street. There are rides, music, dancing, different kinds of food, and amazing entertainment. Anyways, during the day it is open to all ages, but after sunset, only people who are sixteen or older can go to it because they like to add in more...adult things.

"Anyways, people hardly ever go with just friends after sunset. It's usually lovers, but there are always a few exceptions. Andee has been dying to go to it after sunset ever since she found out about it. If I am correct, she's turning seventeen in August, so she is the perfect age to get in. Anyways, you take her and I guarantee she will be your girlfriend by the end of the night," Micah explained in a hushed voice, as if he was afraid Andee might come back any moment and hear what we were talking about.

"She doesn't like me like that, and besides, I don't want to force her into anything," I said.

"It would not be forcing her - the festival has some sort of...magic. Things just happen," he said. "And besides, she will go with you. I can guarantee you that - I have never seen her shine as bright as she does whenever she is with you. It's tomorrow night, right after sunset - just keep that in mind."

Andee came back a few seconds after Micah had finished talking, holding a brown paper bag full of vegetables and other kinds of fresh food. "So whatcha guys talking about?"

"I was just telling Percy here about the festival," Micah told her and her whole face lit up as she smiled, taking the poster from my hands.

"No way," she said, obviously excited. "Tomorrow? Oh my gods, I hope we're still here for it! I've never gotten to go to it after sunset because I was never old enough!"

"Well, I have to get going," Micah said, giving Andee one last hug. "Oh, and Percy - remember what I told you."

"What did he tell you?" Andee asked once we were on our way back to the moped. "What did he tell you that was so important for you to remember?"

"Nothing," I said nonchalantly. "Let's just call in a guy-secret."

"Guys don't have secrets," Andee said matter-of-factly.

"We can," I defended.

"No, you can't. Guys are worse than girls when it comes to gossiping," Andee said.

"For that comment, I'm not going to tell you what he said now," I said.

"You weren't going to tell me anyways," she pouted.

"You've got that right," I said and she glared at me,

"You are so lucky I like you as much as I do. Otherwise, I would've kicked you in the groin by now," she said and I automatically winced at the though. "And trust me - you're pushing how much I like you at the moment."


	13. Loves Makes The World Go Round

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, movies, series, or anything else related to it. I also do not own anything you own.

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Sorry it's taken me so long to update, but here is the next chapter! Please make sure you alert, favorite, and review this story! All reviews are read and really appreciated, so even just a short one to say you liked it is greatly appreciated!

**Chapter Thirteen**  
**Love Makes the World Go Round**

I felt like a complete idiot.

It was just after the sun had started setting, and I was standing underneath Andee's balcony, throwing rocks at her window in a futile attempt to get her attention. I was trying to do something romantic for her, but to be honest, I wasn't really a romantic person. Or maybe I was, but I had never really tried to do anything like this before.

The glass doors opened and Andee walked out in a tank top and shorts, ruffling her blonde hair as she leaned against her balcony's railing, yawning as if she had just gotten out of bed.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair," I called up, feeling a little stupid.

Apparently it worked on her, though, because her cheeks went bright red as a smile crept onto her face. "Sorry Prince Charming, I just got a haircut," she said, holding up a lock of her hair as if to prove her point.

"Cute."

She smiled devilishly at me. "Well, I _am_ pretty cute. So what - dare I ask - are you doing down there?"

This was the moment of truth. This was the moment we'd all see if I could actually do it...or if I would run away without looking back. Every part of me was urging me to go with the second option, and I must say it was tempting. "I was wondering...well, I was wondering if you might possibly...oh, I don't know...you know what? I'm just being stupid. I'll - I'll see you in the morning."

I started heading back towards the house, giving up on my stupid idea when I heard her call me back. "Percy!" she shouted, and I backed up to see her waiting at her balcony. "What did you want to ask me? You wouldn't have gone through all this trouble if it was stupid."

"Well, I was just wondering if you'd want to go to that festival with me," I told her, knowing it wasn't going to happen. This was as pointless as a fish trying to swim on land.

"You mean like, on a date?" Andee asked slowly, her head tilted slightly to the side as she looked at me.

"Well, it could be a date if you wanted it to be, but it's perfectly fine if you don't want it to be a date - we could go as just friends," I said speedily. "I just know that you really wanted to go and I figured that since we were here we could, but you probably don't want to go with me because -"

"Yes, Percy," Andee said, a huge smile on her face. Now I was confused. What did she mean? As if reading my mind, she said, "I'd love to go on a date with you."

I honestly couldn't believe it. She had said _yes_. Yes to me - Percy Jackson, the guy with the worst luck in the world. I had expected her to say she was too busy trying to figure out where to go next for the quest, or to downright refuse me. This was unbelievable.

"I just have to change out of my pajamas - give me five minutes," she said before rushing back into her room, shutting the window-doors behind her.

Okay, so I'd just wait here. That was fine. But what if she didn't come back out? What if saying yes to me was just some big joke to her? What if she was sitting in her room now, laughing hysterically at how pathetic I was?

I heard a slight thud behind me and turned to see Andee crouched on the ground. She stood up and snapped her knees back in place, which definitely wasn't one of the most pleasant sounds I've heard.

"Did you just jump off the balcony?" I asked incredulously, and she nodded calmly, shaking her legs out. "You know, there's this new invention called a 'door', it comes in handy when you need to enter or exit a room or building."

"Going out the door is no fun," Andee said, oblivious to the sarcasm that was practically dripping off my voice.

"You are absolutely bonkers," I told her and she grinned.

"You know me a little too well."

When I looked at her closer, I noticed that she was wearing a dress that was white on top, had a black belt around the waist, and the bottom part of the dress was a rich shade of cerulean blue. Her hair fell down her shoulder in subtle waves and she had a pair of dangly black earrings hanging from her earlobes. She had had on her trademark sun necklace, and a pair of black flats on her feet.

"You know, you're pretty short," I said.

She gave me a look. "Really? Thanks for pointing that out - I hadn't noticed in the sixteen, almost seventeen years I've been alive," she commented dryly.

"Well, _I _hadn't," I defended as we started walking towards the garage. She opened the garage door and straddled the moped. I climbed on behind her, wrapping my arms tightly around her waist.

By the time we had reached the marketplace where the festival was, it was already dark out. But the streets were crowded with people, music was playing, and colorful paper lanterns were hung up everywhere, giving the streets a warm, colorful glow.

"Wow," Andee breathed, spinning in a slow circle so she could look at everything. "Where do you want to go first?"

"I don't know - why don't we walk around a bit and then if you see something you like, we can do that," I suggested and she nodded. As we strolled around the marketplace, Andee's hand kept nudging mine. I didn't know if she was just walking really close to me or if she wanted to hold her hand. Either way, I was on a bit of an adrenaline high just from her agreeing to go with me, so I decided to go out of me comfort zone a little.

I laced my fingers with hers, hoping I was reading her signals right. I glanced over and was smiling just a little bit more than before.

"So what's the story with you and this place?" I asked her, swinging our joined hands a little.

"You mean Greece?" she asked and I nodded. "Well, I guess I grew up here, more or less. See, my mom was born in Canada and lived their her whole life except for the few summers where she'd go with her parents and Val to the summer home - the house we're staying at right now. My mom actually met my dad at this festival - that's how they started dating. They ended up getting married and had me in Canada. So after Val, my mom's best friend, took guardianship of me, she took me to see my grandparents every summer, winter, and spring break. I just absorbed the language and culture like a little sponge."

"So what's with your grandparents then? Because isn't Zeus your mom's dad?" I asked.

"Yes, he is," she said. "Popa is my mom's step-father."

"Now that makes a little more sense," I said.

She grinned. "Things tend to make more sense once they've been explained." I just looked at her before laughing. "What?"

"You really are insane," I told her and her smile grew.

"It makes life a lot more interesting, don't you agree?" she asked, and I nodded. "So what about you? What's your family-life like?"

"Well, it's just me, my mom, and her boyfriend, Paul Blofis," I said.

"Your mom is dating a guy with the last name Blowfish?" Andee asked.

"Blofis - no 'h' on the end," I corrected. "My dad actually calls him Blowfish."

She smiled. "It just seems kind of funny that she goes from the god of the sea to someone whose name is incredibly close to a creature of the sea."

"Yeah, that is kind of funny," I said.

"So, tell me about your mom."

"What about her?" I asked.

"I don't know - anything," she said eagerly. So I told her all about my mom - at least, everything I could think up on the spot. How she was taking writing classes, how she loves the color blue, loves to make blue food to prove people wrong, and how caring she was about me. "She sounds amazing."

"She is," I said. "What about your mom? I know she died right before you were born, but what do you know about her?"

"Well, she was a dancer and an actress. She didn't like to sing as much as I do, but she was still really good at it. Val told me that while she was pregnant with me, she would always sing to me and she thinks that why I'm so musical now," Andee said and continued to tell me everything she knew about her mom. I knew by the way her face lit up as she talked about her that she missed her mom.

"She sounds pretty great too," I told her. "Do you miss her?"

"I don't know...I mean, you can't really miss someone you've never met, right?" she asked, but it sounded more like she was talking to herself. "But I'll be on a run to at the mall with my friends or something, and I'll see a mother with her daughter, and I feel like a piece of me is missing. Like, I wonder how different my life would've been if I had had a mom growing up. Val is like my mom more than anyone else, really, but she's not blood, you know?"

"Yeah." The way she described missing her mom reminded me of how I felt about my dad.

"So," Andee said, making an obvious change in the subject, "when did you find out who your dad was?"

"When I was thirteen," I said.

She looked at me wide-eyed. "You only found out who you were when you were thirteen?" Andee asked and I nodded. "How the Hades are you still alive?"

"I had this stepfather for a long time, and apparently his smell was so strong that it blocked out my demigod smell."

"That's so gross." She shuddered a little at the thought before her attention was brought to something else. "Look! Airbrush tattoos!"

"What are those?"

"You've never gotten an airbrush tattoo before?" She looked at me as if I was the insane one out of the two of us.

"Nope."

"You have lived such a sheltered life!" Andee said. "You need to get one! Right now!" She led me to one of the open chairs and started looking through the book of designs.

"So are you going to tell me what these airbrush tattoos are?" I asked.

"They're tattoos that are sprayed on with this special paint and they last for a couple weeks and look so cool!" she said excitedly. "My dad used to always take me to get them before I got my real tattoos." She spoke in quick Greek to the guy running and he nodded before taking my forearm and starting on the tattoo.

"How many tattoos do you have?" I asked.

"I have four, but I have to keep them hidden because my grandpa doesn't exactly approve of them," she told me. "My grandpa thinks that I don't act lady-like enough without 'putting graffiti on my own body'."

"And your dad...?"

"He took me to get them." She grinned wickedly.

"Can I see?" I asked, feeling cool air brushing against my skin from the machine that put on the tattoos. I went to look over, having no clue what was being put on my arm, but Andee gently turned my head so I was looking straight at her.

"No peeking, it's a surprise," she said, talking about the tattoo I was getting. "Now onto my tattoos. You've seen the first two, and these are the other two," she said, lifting her hair up so I could see the music notes behind her ear, and the stars on the back of her neck that ended just before her shoulder blades.

"I can see why I didn't see them," I told her.

"My grandpa has strictly forbid me from letting any of them be seen in Olympus, so I had to choose ones that could be covered easily," she said, looking over at my forearm. "You're done, take a look."

I looked down at my forearm and saw a blue-green trident. "That's pretty awesome," I admitted and she smiled.

"And the best part for you is that it won't come off in water," she said as we walked out, hand in hand. I was definitely starting to like this whole dating thing, that's for sure. We walked along the street, looking at all the stalls, playing a few of the games, and going on a few of the rides. The music was getting louder the further in we walked and it wasn't long before we came upon a crowd full of people, all dancing along to the music coming from the band on the stage.

"Wanna dance?" I asked her on a whim. I had never seen her smile as brightly as she did when I asked her that. She nodded, blushing a bit as I led her to the makeshift dance floor.

She took both of my hands and got me moving, and pretty soon, people were moving away from us because we were dancing so crazily. That was before the band started playing a slow song. Oh dear gods.

Andee automatically moved and put her arms around my neck. So I put my hands on her waist, which what I had seen people do at school dances and just guessed it would be the right thing to do. Apparently it was.

As I danced with her, I couldn't help but notice that the lyrics of the song were all about love and how you should always try for the person you love. Andee seemed to know the song because I could hear her humming along softly. Andee lifted her head off my shoulder and looked at me, smiling.

Something came over me and I leaned down and pressed my lips against hers. When our lips met, that first hold was more than anything I could've imagined. After a few moments, Andee pulled back, a guilty look in her eye.

"Percy, it's not right," Andee said softly, refusing to look at me. "I can't."

"I don't know what is bothering you, but it doesn't matter now," I said, forcing to look me in the eyes. "You have feelings for me and I have feelings for you, that's all that matters, okay?"

"It's a lot more complicated than that, Percy," Andee said, a sadness in her eyes.

"But why does it have to be?" I asked, before kissing her again. This time she didn't hold anything back. The kiss was hungry and passionate as Andee pressed herself against me, straining to get closer as she wound her hands around my waist and pulled the back of my shirt towards her. I felt dizzy - in a good way - and I let myself go, loving every stroke of her tongue against mine. My hands moved restlessly, around her shoulders and down her back, and then tracing their way back up to the nape of her neck. My fingers tangled into her hair to draw her closer.

"Why do you have to make everything so hard for me?" Andee whispered as she gazed into my eyes.

"Because I'm good at that," I replied and she rolled her eyes. "Do wanna go?"

She nodded, letting me lead her out of the dancing crowd. We looked around, perfectly content in our silence before Andee spotted a photo booth and suggested we go in it.

We squeezed into the cramped little booth and Andee ended up sitting on my lap just so the two of us could fit. We quickly put in a few coins before it started taking pictures, Andee's arms wrapped around me the whole time.

As they were developing, we stood outside and waited for them to finish, Andee's arms wrapped around me in a hug, watching the photo booth. I had my own arms wrapped around her right before the two little slips of photo paper came out, showing four pictures on each one.

"Now we both have copies of this," Andee said, handing me mine so I could tuck it into my back pocket.

"You know, the beach is right down there if you'd want to go hang out there for awhile," I suggested and she nodded as I took her hand once more. We spent the rest of the night walking and chasing each other along the shore, and then just sitting in the sand, kissing and talking, neither of us able to stop the smiles on our faces.

"You do know I've had feelings for you this whole time, right?" Andee asked suddenly, turning around to face me so that she was practically straddling me.

"I hoped," I said.

"I just have some...things going on right now," Andee told me honestly, her hands touching my neck. "But regardless of those things, I really really care for you, even if I don't want to."

"How can you not want to care for someone?" I asked.

"When you've got the goddess of love interested in you, you don't really like getting into relationships," Andee said, and I could immediately tell that she wasn't telling the full truth.

"You know," I said softly, stroking her cheek gently, "if you don't want to tell me something, that's fine. But you should know that whenever you're ready to tell me, I'm here."

Andee groaned. "Why do you have to be so sweet?"

Her lips immediately met mine in another passion-filled kiss. We laid there for awhile, just holding each other, not knowing or caring what time it was. But we decided that we should probably get back to her grandparent's house. So we got on the moped and were back at the house in a few minutes. We climbed up the trellis next to Andee's balcony and landed back in her room.

I hadn't seen it before, but it was really nice. Her room looked like it was from a completely different time period. The walls were covered with gold wallpaper and everything in the room seemed to match it. Her bed had a sheer gold canopy over it while the sheets were white with gold details that matched her wallpaper. She even had a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There was a white door on one side, and I had a feeling it led into the bathroom she shared with Annabeth.

"Your room's really nice," I mentioned and she smiled.

"It used to be my mom's," she said softly, flopping onto a bright blue and gold seat at the end of her bed. "My room back home is a lot more modern than this, but I still love it."

I nodded before looking at the time and saying, "It's really late - I should probably go."

"No," she said suddenly, her cheeks flaring up. She stood up and walked over to me, draping her arms around my neck. "What I mean is that I want you to stay."

I moved my lips over hers to show my approval of this, and she instantly responded back, maneuvering us both to her bed. I gave her a playful push down onto it, and she laughed, having to quickly quiet down before we were caught by her grandparents, or worse, Annabeth.

"Can I have your shirt?" Andee asked and I looked at her oddly. "To sleep in."

"Sure," I said, starting to unbutton it. I felt her watching me and suddenly felt very self-conscious of myself. She bounced up onto her knees so she was closer to eye level with me.

"You have an incredible body, Mr. Jackson," Andee said, sliding my shirt off my shoulders, her nails tickling my skin as she did so. She took the shirt and laid it on the bed. She smiled at me, her cheeks turning red. "You're very cute, you know."

"Just what every guy wants to hear," I said.

"It's a compliment," Andee argued. "Now turn around so I can get out of my dress and into your shirt."

I turned around like she said, but argued, "You know, you get to watch me like I'm performing a striptease, but you get privacy."

"I'm a lady," was all Andee responded with. Then she walked in front of me, my shirt on, but hanging open, revealing her lacy gold bra and panties. "However, I'm not as much of a lady as some people would like me to be. And my body is not something I feel I need to hide from you."

"You look a lot better in that shirt than I do," I mentioned.

She grinned. "That might have something to do with what's visible underneath, but thanks anyways," she said. "Now, I think we should probably get some sleep."

"Agreed." Andee climbed onto one side and wiggled underneath the covers. I sat down and took off my jeans and socks before sliding underneath the covers as well. She immediately moved over so that she was right beside me, wrapping her arms around me. She rested her head on my shoulder, and I couldn't help noticing that she smelled like mangoes.

"You are so incredibly beautiful," I whispered to her, kissing the top of her head.

"Can you promise me something?" Andee asked softly.

"Anything," I said, feeling sleep starting to overtake me.

"Don't break my heart," she whispered, sounding extremely fragile.

"Never," I promised her before we both fell asleep.


	14. Take A Look In Andee's Mind, Part I

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, series, movies, or anything else related to it.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! I'm actually getting really excited about this story and the next one because so much stuff is going to happen! It's going to be intense! So leave a review, favorite, and alert this story to make sure you get everything!

**Chapter Fourteen**  
**Let's Take A Look in Andee's Mind, Part 1**

I was awake after having a bad dream, and instead of getting out of bed, I stayed beside Percy, where I felt completely safe. I started to play with his messy, raven hair, being gentle so that I wouldn't wake him. He looked so peaceful and happy when he was sleeping, so I didn't want to disturb him.

I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that he was now _my _boyfriend. Mine. All mine. I could kiss him and hug him and hold his hand and wrap my arms around him and just be with him whenever I wanted.

He was so handsome with his black hair that was always messy, and his amazing sea green eyes. He was slightly tan, but just a little, as if he had fallen asleep in the sun for a few hours. His body was really nice too - I guess he didn't realize it, but he was quite muscley from all his training at Camp Half-Blood.

I wasn't just attracted to him for his looks, although, they were a definite plus. He was incredibly smart when he wanted to be, adorable, loyal, determined, and stubborn. He made me feel safe, and at ease. He also did this cute thing I loved where he'd ruffle his hair if he was nervous or embarrassed or unsure about something. Hell, I loved everything about him.

Love. A simple, four-lettered word. I've never told anyone I loved them, unless they were a close friend or family, of course. I've never been in love before - I've never wanted to be. But with Percy, it took one look at the boy to know that this incredible and horrible feeling I had was love. There wasn't a single doubt in my mind. Every time I saw him my heart stopped, my breath caught in my throat, I got butterflies in my stomach. I felt like I needed to touch him just to survive. A touch just as simple as holding his hand. A gesture to let him know that I really do love him.

Love was a dangerous thing for me, something I've always been afraid of, even more than a hellhound. When I found out about my dad, I had the first Prophecy I can remember. And it was about me. It said:

_A half-blood will enter the darkest depths of her mind,_

_To save her, and the strongest love they shall find._

_A repeat of history but their story's a fatal twist,_

_For she will never stop loving him once she is kissed._

_The gods themselves will try to keep them apart,_

_Because her one love will keep breaking her heart._

So pretty much, it's saying that I'll fall in love with someone, falling the pattern of a very famous couple in history. But my story gets a "fatal twist", because as soon as he kisses me, I'll never stop loving him, even though he'll constantly break my heart. I knew that the Prophecy was about Percy for many reasons, some obvious, and some you'd only know if you were me.

I've been terrified of this my entire life. Maybe it has something to do with my dad, because he has gotten his heart broken too many times before, his latest one being my mother. He hasn't had another kid since then.

I was safe from all of this in Vancouver. There were no other half-bloods there that I was aware of. Valkyrie never let me leave the country for that reason. I even dated once, and even though it didn't end on the best note, I had been able to do it because I wasn't in love with him. My heart never got broken.

Then my stupid school had to get invited to perform in New York. And I had to be the lead. I had been excited at first because I'd always wanted to go to New York, and performing there would be even better. Then that night, he was in my nightmare. He saved me. I was okay though, because even though we kissed in the nightmare, we hadn't kissed on this plane, the one that matter. And then I saw him, and unfortunately, he saw me too. Even worse, was that everything about us practically screamed that we were meant to be together.

I had to make him hate me. If he fell for me, I knew there would be no turning back. Unfortunately, it was too late for that, but I kept trying. I was a real bitch, if I'm being honest, but it never seemed to faze him. I hated seeing the look on his face every time I rejected him or said something especially cruel to him. He looked so...devastated. But then he was right back at it, being the sweetest person ever and making me fall for him.

You need to understand that by trying to make him hate me, I was trying to protect both of us. By trying to leave right away that day, it was to protect us. Protect him from having to be a part of the Prophecy, and protect myself from that kind of hurt. I knew it was too late, but I had to try. I didn't want this Prophecy to come true, but unfortunately, the Fates have never been wrong. And now here we were, having had a full night of making out, and sleeping in the same bed together.

Let's make that clear. Sleeping in the same bed together, not _sleeping_ together. Hopefully I'd be able to hold that off for awhile, because I knew once we got to that stage, I'd be really screwed. Like, about a thousand more times screwed than I was now.

Back in the moment, I had a dull throbbing at the back of my head. This had been happening a lot lately. It shouldn't have been, though, as you may have very well guessed. I can't get sick so I don't get migraines. Well, I didn't. They started at the same time that I started getting the nightmares. Someone was trying to invade my mind, to take it over, and the result was the horrible nightmares where I had to literally try to fight them off, and the increasingly frequent migraines. I had been hoping to avoid getting any while on this quest, because I could be put out of commission for a few days while I tried to recover, but apparently, the Fates aren't into being nice to me lately.

Before I realized what was happening, Percy's mouth covered mine possessively. His lips were so soft and I wanted to have this feeling forever, where I got to forget the pain I was feeling, both in my heart and in my head.

Let me repeat: I was _so_ screwed.

He pulled back from the incredibly 'good morning' kiss and smiled impishly at me, making me smile as well.

"How long have you been up?" Percy asked, leaning over me. I looked to see he had a leg on either side of me and was hovering over top of me in only his boxers. The images that came to mind were a little...well, let's just say that they weren't exactly appropriate.

"Awhile," I answered vaguely, extremely aware of how warm my cheeks were getting.

"And you didn't want to get up?" he asked.

"Didn't want to wake you," I corrected, trying to find a good position that would put pressure on my head to rid myself of the pain. "You look really cute when you sleep."

"Well, you are gorgeous all the time," he said and smiled afterwards. "It feels so good to be able to say that without feeling like I'm being too forward."

"Nothing is ever too forward for me," I told him. Honestly, I had thought I was being a little too forward last night, and that I might've scared him off. Apparently we're on the same page, relationship-wise.

Well, for the most part.

"In that case, I'm going to kiss you until I get struck by lightning." Percy gave me a cheeky smile before kissing me softly. For all he knew, my grandpa could very well send a lightning bolt to strike him dead. He already didn't like him, and I could just imagine how he'd react when he found out I was dating Percy...oh, he really wasn't going to be okay with this. Oh well, he could just suck it up.

Kissing Percy was amazing. It was like fireworks were going off in my head! I had never felt like this before, and as cliché as it sounds, I couldn't have been happier. We hadn't even been dating for a full day yet, but time had never really matter to me. It was just a number in my head. I definitely wasn't one of those crazy chicks who had "week-a-versaries" or "month-a-versaries". Those were just stupid.

A sudden, intense wave of pain hit me and I accidentally bit Percy's lip. And trust me, it wasn't a playful nip or anything, it was a full on chomp down, with blood and all. I gasped in pain, and was gritting my teeth together when Percy asked, "Are you okay?" See what I mean about being sweet? I just _bit_ him, and he cares more about me.

"No," I choked out, finding even the effort of talking painful. Shaking my head would've been a lot worse. "Migraine."

"I thought you couldn't get sick or anything like that."

"I can't."

He was silent for a moment, realizing the underlying meaning of what I had just said, before saying, "What do you need me to do?"

"I need -" I took a deep breath to try to calm the pain "- an ice pack and sunlight."

Percy immediately went over to the balcony doors and opened them, letting the sunlight stream in on me. That felt good. "I'll be right back," Percy said, kissing my forehead before pulling on his jeans and practically running out of the room. I closed my eyes, as if it would help get rid of the pain, but it only continued to get worse.

Tears began to run down my face, and a few times I had to bite back a scream of pain it was getting so bad. This was by far the worst one, telling me that whoever wanted me was getting close to succeeding.

Percy came back with an ice pack wrapped in a towel and gently put it under my head, somehow managing to find the exact spot where the pain was the worst. He lay back down beside me and let his hand wander on my stomach, constantly kissing my forehead, neck and shoulders, and whispering that I was going to be okay, and that he was right there.

Then my cell phone started ringing on my bedside table, playing "Walking On Sunshine", which meant my dad was calling. Percy reached over and grabbed the phone, meaning to turn it off, pressing the ignore button and then turning the phone off.

I couldn't believe Percy had done that. Not many people would want to mess with the god of disease like that. But I don't think Percy realized he was ignoring a call from my dad.

Percy stayed by my side all day, only leaving to go to the washroom and occasionally bring up food, which he forced me to eat some of. By the time I started to feel better, night was already starting to creep in. All I could do at that point was take a shower (and make sure Percy took one too) and go back to sleep. So that's what I did.

I didn't have any dreams that night, thankfully. I don't think my body could've handled another day like what I'd just had. But I felt horrible that I had just wasted a day that we could've been searching for this "key". I woke up the next morning to see that Percy was already up and dressed, sitting at the seat at the end of my bed, looking at me with worry.

"Good morning," I greeted him and he smiled, apparently relived that I was feeling better.

"Good morning," he said in return. "Feeling better?"

"Much," I said.

"Why don't you get dressed and we'll head down to breakfast together?" Percy suggested as I climbed out of bed.

"Okay," I agreed, grabbing some clothes from my bag and heading into the bathroom. I walked into the bathroom Annie and I were sharing and brushed my teeth, and brushing out my hair. I put on a white tank top and a high-waisted, light grey skirt. I also pulled on my silver pair of gladiators (I had a lot) and a few light blue and gold beaded necklaces.

I saw Percy's shirt that I had been wearing on the floor and quickly picked it up, taking in his intoxicating smell. I couldn't even begin to describe it but it made me crazy, and if you were anywhere near him you could smell it. Well, this shirt was definitely going into my bag.

I looked at my reflection and once I was satisfied, I walked back into my room where Percy was waiting patiently for me. He was looked around at everything, but once he saw me, he gave me that lazy half-smile that absolutely melted my heart.

"Hello," he waved slightly as he walked over to me.

"Hi," I tried to say calmly, but my heart was racing at the speed of light just from being in the same room as him.

"Hi," he whispered once he was right in front of me, his voice husky. He kissed me, his hand gently cupping my cheek. I wanted to just melt in his arms. "You look beautiful today."

"Thanks," I said, smiling at him. "Shall we go?"

"Definitely," he answered, taking my hand and leading me down the stairs. As you walked down my grandparent's stairs, all you could see was picture after picture of me. School pictures, pictures from different performances of events, and there were even a few of my mom and dad while my mother was pregnant with me. "That's a lot of pictures of you."

"They don't really get to see me as much as they used to," I told him, looking at some of the pictures where I was with Val or my grandparents.

"Why not?" he asked, looking at all the pictures.

"Once I turned ten and did the test, Val decided I had to learn how to fight so I didn't exhaust myself by using my powers," I said. "Between that and performing, and trying to live a semi-normal teenage life, the visits started becoming a lot less frequent." He nodded, standing behind me with his arms wrapped around my waist.

"You were a really cute kid," he said, looking at the picture of me when I was about five, dressed up as a fairy princess for Halloween.

I laughed a little before we started back down the stairs, his hand encasing mine. We walked into the kitchen and found everyone looking at us, plus an extra body - my dad.


	15. Take A Look In Andee's Mind, Part II

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, series, movies, or anything else related to it.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! I just remembered that I had posted a chapter in awhile and I thought while I had a few moments I would. Please make sure to review, it really helps me update faster!

**Chapter Fifteen**  
**Let's Take A Look in Andee's Mind, Part 2**

I stopped dead in my tracks, staring at him.

"Daddy?" I asked. He didn't respond, just stared at my hand in Percy's. "Daddy, what are you doing here?"

"Well, when you didn't answer your phone yesterday, I got worried and thought something might have happened," dad said. "Apparently I was right, but not in the way I thought." Another pause in which he looked over at Percy, staring at him for a few moments.

"Lord Apollo," Percy greeted my father, nodding his head in respect. My father remained silent, watching Percy intently.

"Perseus Jackson," Apollo finally said, his eyes never leaving my new boyfriend. "I think I'd like to speak to my daughter alone."

Annabeth and Grover couldn't leave the room fast enough, but not before Annabeth locked eyes with mine.

_You are in so much trouble, _Annabeth's voice echoed through my mind.

When we were younger, we were driving home with my Aunt Val from the beach when we were side-swiped by a drunk driver. Annabeth and I hadn't been wearing seatbelts, and we both went flying out the windows. Val was fine, but trapped.

Annabeth and I died. Seems silly, doesn't it? These two demigods who have spent their whole lives training to fight monsters, and we died in a drunk driving accident. Being who I am, I had been able to regenerate. Very painfully and a lot slower than normal, but I did. I walked around, feeling lost as I did so. Val was yelling at me to stay where I was but I couldn't hear her - not properly at least. I had seen Annabeth lying on the ground, dead, and felt like my whole world was caving in.

I kneeled beside her body and started crying, feeling like a chunk of me had died with her. How was it fair that I got to live while my best friend died? I cried and cried and prayed to the gods to bring her back, to do anything so that my best friend, my _sister_, wouldn't die.

She started coughing and coming back to life, all of her cuts healing like mine usually did. She sat up, a bit confused about what happened. I hugged her tightly, ecstatic that she had come back to life. After that, we found that we were bonded for the rest of our lives. We had a telepathic connection and if one of us got hurt or died, we would know. It was a weird feeling, but very distinct, so there was no confusing it with anything else. Every time Annabeth got hurt at Camp or on a quest, and every time I was killed, we both knew.

Last winter had been horrible, when Annabeth had been holding up the weight of the world. I had been able to feel all the physical and emotional stress it had put on her, which wasn't the best feeling in the world.

_It was bound to happen_, I said, knowing that she was a little hurt that I hadn't told her that me and Percy had gotten together.

_I know_, Annabeth said, _and you know better than anyone else what's going to happen_. I nodded a little before she left the room. Yaya and Popa talked briefly with my father before leaving the room. Percy was the very last one.

"Go," I whispered. "Trust me, if there's anyone that can handle my father, it's me."

He nodded. "I'll wait for you in your room." He was about to leave, but I pulled him back and gave him a sweet kiss before he left. I didn't do it just to spite my dad, as you may be thinking, but because I really did care for Percy.

My dad gave me a look, clearly demanding that I explain. I decided to take a different approach. "Hi daddy!" I said warmly, hugging him tightly and kissing him on the cheek. "How are you?"

"I'm not playing this game, Andee."

"What game? Can't your favorite daughter give you a proper greeting?"

"You're my only daughter."

"I'm still your favorite child, am I not?"

He had to try to hide his smile, because he was trying to be stern with me. See? Daddy's Little Princess has a little power over even her daddy. "That is not what I hunted you down to talk about, as I'm sure you know. So, first things first, why did you not answer your phone yesterday?"

I moved to sit in one of the chairs. "I had a migraine and Percy saw that the sound was disturbing me, so he turned my phone off. He didn't know it was you."

"A migraine? You don't get those, I made sure of that when you were conceived," my dad said. I cringed a little at the mental picture. But he would know if I were lying, and I wasn't. We both knew that. He immediately looked at my necklace, a gift he gave to me to show what state my mind and soul were in. It was tinged green. "Andee -"

"I know what's coming, and I'm still fighting, but you know, the chances of not seeing him are very unlikely," I said. "Something will bring me back."

"You can't be sure of that."

"I can hope."

"Elpis is still imprisoned in Pandora's box."

"That doesn't mean I can't have hope, dad," I said. "You know, I get that my life isn't exactly great. I killed my mom before I was even born, my own family wanted to kill me if I couldn't get my powers under control, I spent my childhood training and fighting instead of having play-dates and going to birthday parties, I'm destined to have my heart broken by the person I love, and some psycho is trying to takeover my body and my mind for who knows what. I get it. I don't need everyone telling me what I can and can't do. Those are my choices while I still have them."

The look my father gave me scared me a bit. "So, you think it's smart to date the Jackson boy? Even though you know you're going to get your heart broken?"

"Yes!" I practically screamed. When I got angry to the point of yelling, I started speaking a mix of the four languages I knew - English, French, Greek, and Ancient Greek. Apparently it's really weird to hear, as I've been told by a few of my mortal friends, but most of the time, I didn't even realize I was doing it. "It's my choice! Mine! Okay, yes, I didn't want to meet him. I was _scared_. And when I did meet him, I did everything in my power to push him away! But have you met the boy? He's freakin' persistent! I'm not going to apologize for giving into my feelings! Last time I checked, you're practically the king of giving into your feelings."

"You will not be with him. That is what's best for you."

"Oh, but it was okay for me to be with Lucas because I didn't love him? Well, look how well that turned out! I don't know if you remember, but he cheated on me because I wouldn't have sex with him! Not that it matters, because once again, _I didn't love him_."

"So you love Percy."

"Yes, I love Percy. There's this intense pull between us and I know he's the one in the Prophecy. I don't want to love him because of what the Prophecy says, but I do, and that's all that matters. I'm not going to fight it anymore and whatever happens, happens. You can't fight the Fates and you know that better than anyone else."

"I don't care!" he yelled, standing up and throwing his own chair to the ground. "I'm not going to see my only daughter go through that kind of pain! I refuse to! I will force you into becoming a full god if I have to in order to protect you!"

"You fell in love with mom even though you knew she was going to die young. You knew she was going to die before she turned nineteen and you still let yourself fall in love with her! You got married to her against grandpa's rules, and had me with her anyways! You knew your heart was going to get broken again, maybe the worst of all, and you let it happen!"

"That has nothing to do with this!" he roared.

"This has everything to do with it! You don't want me to make the same mistakes that you made, but I will never learn if I can't make them for myself! And Percy is definitely not a mistake!" I yelled right back at him, getting up and starting to leave the room when I felt tears starting to fall.

"Andee Larissa, don't you dare leave this room! We are not finished with this conversation!"

"I am!" I shouted at him, running up the stairs to my room. All I wanted to do was crawl under my covers and stay there until everything was better. I wish that would actually work one of these days.

"Your middle name is Larissa?" Percy asked from his position, lounging on the seat at the end of my bed. Even after all that had happened, I couldn't help but smile because he was already trying to help me forget what had happened.

I rushed to him and he immediately stood as I wrapped my arms around him tightly. He returned the gesture, squeezing me with just the right amount of tightness. I broke down, my eyes like a waterfall as I cried into his shoulder.

So far, the two days we've been together, he's had to take care of me, and deal with my crying and problems. This was going great so far.

"My middle name is James," Percy said, causing me to pull back and look at him. I started laughing. I must've seemed like I was PMSing or something because of my quickly changing emotions but that was such a random thing to just throw out there after all that had happened.

Percy grinned, bringing me back into a tight hug. Everything seemed a little bit better in his arms. "So your dad doesn't seem really happy about us being together."

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"I can understand a bit of Ancient Greek," Percy said casually, leading me back over to the seat, but he didn't sit down, just kept standing with me and holding my hands. "And even if I didn't know any Ancient Greek, I could still hear my name being said, your full name, and a lot of yelling. It's not too hard to figure out, even for me."

I sighed and wrapped my arms around his torso again, pressing my head to his chest. I could hear his heart beating steadily, which was actually pretty calming. "I'm sick of people trying to tell me what to do with my life."

"Then stop listening," Percy said. I smiled. Percy may not be the brightest at times, but like everyone, he had his moments. And I loved all of those moments. I stood on my tippy toes and gently pressed my lips against his. I loved the taste of his mouth.

"You make me feel so happy," I told him honestly and he smiled, kissing me again. We hung out in my room, kissing and touching for awhile before I got the all-clear from Annabeth, saying that my dad was gone and breakfast was being made.

We headed back downstairs and Annabeth and Grover were sitting at the table while Yaya and Popa made breakfast. There were still a thick layer of tension in the air, but I pretended it wasn't there and that nothing had happened before.

"You two seem pretty happy," Annabeth said, as if we didn't have a private conversation about it earlier. Well...it wasn't really a conversation but I'm sure that was coming soon.

"Very," I said, not able to help the warmth that spread over my face as Percy wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"Couldn't be happier," Percy added, giving me a meaningful look and a smile.

"Congrats, man," Grover said and Percy thanked him, his eyes never leaving me.

"So Percy, we need to establish some ground rules about all of this," Annabeth said. I gave her a warning look but she ignored it.

"And what would these ground rules be?" Percy asked, clearly challenging her.

"First off, if you break her heart, I will break every bone in your body - twice," Annabeth said, and I couldn't help but agree with that one. "And second, no making out in front of me."

"Annabeth," I said, but she gave me a look telling me that she knew what she was doing, even though she didn't.

"I would never hurt her," Percy told her, making my heart leap a little, "but making out...can't promise we won't do that in front of you." I rolled my eyes as he pressed his lips against mine, kissing me overdramatically to prove a point to her.

"Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth shrieked and I couldn't help but smirk a little at her reaction. After breakfast, everyone decided to go do something. I decided that I'd try to figure out what to do next by meditating. It would also help get my mind off my dad, and how much worse it would be when my grandpa found out.

I sat on the edge of the pier with my shoes off and my legs crossed. My eyes were closed and my mind was blank, trying to summon something that could be helpful towards the quest.

I don't know how long I sat there, letting the sound of the waves and the heat of the sun relax me and my mind when someone came and put their hands over my already closed eyes.

"Guess who?" a husky voice said from behind me, sending shivers up my spine.

"Hmm...I have no idea," I said, playing it cool before my lips were met with his. We broke apart after a few seconds and he sat down beside me. "You know, it's hard for me to meditate when you come and kiss me - not that I mind you kissing me, of course, but meditating could be a key element to succeeding on this quest."

"You've been sitting out here for _hours_," Percy moaning, wrapping his arms around me and falling over, bringing me with him. I laughed and smiled at how completely adorable he was. I couldn't be happier than when I was with him. "I like you a lot, you know."

"I figured," I said as he lightly stroked my cheek from his spot beside me. He had opened up a lot since asking me to be his girlfriend two nights ago. It really didn't seem like it had been two days - it seemed like we had been together for a lifetime.

He pressed his lips against mine gently before pulling back and gazing into my eyes. I just smiled at him, and he let his hand slide down to my hip. It was probably my most sensitive spot and he always seemed to touch it when we were kissing, and every time it sent shivers down my spine.

"I need to figure out where to go next for the quest," I said softly, not wanting to wreck this perfect moment. Unfortunately, I knew that as the leader of this mission, I had to figure out where we needed to go - time was of the essence, as they say.

"Come on," Percy groaned as I started to stand up, attempting to bring him with me. "Just stay here with me."

"Percy." He grudgingly stood up, but immediately wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, hugging me tightly against him.

"I'm not ready to let go of you yet," he mumbled, his face buried in my hair. I leaned back, resting my head on his shoulder as he kissed my neck. This felt perfect. With his arms around me, I felt like nothing could ever hurt me.

"Then don't," I whispered, closing my eyes and taking in the moment. Percy reminded me of the beach; it was the perfect combination of water and sun. Kind of like the two of us put together, I guess.

"Wanna go swimming?" he asked suddenly, a question I should've known was coming since we were standing right beside the Aegean Sea.

"Percy, I can't..." I said, even though I wanted to _so_ badly. I had many of my own reasons for wanting to go swimming with him, the main one being that I liked seeing him without his shirt on.

"Please," he begged, turning me around so he could give me puppy dog eyes with a matching pout. Oh lord, that was so cute.

"Oh Percy, you should know by now that I'm a cat person."

He grinned. "I can make you go swimming with me," he said and I smirked at him before he tried to push me into the water. As he did this, I quickly spun around, grabbing him and pushing him in instead. He resurfaced and gaped at me, like he couldn't believe what I had just done. That surprised me more than anything, because it wasn't like it was the first time. "I cannot believe you - okay, I actually can believe you just did that." He grinned devilishly at me. "I'm going to get you for it, though."

"Not if you can't catch me," I said, sticking my tongue out at him before running away, knowing that I could easily outrun him. Apparently, Camp Half-Blood didn't really focus on the basic enhanced skills of a half-blood like speed, when that was really one of the most important abilities to be able to access.

I heard a big splash and turned to see Percy riding a wave back to shore, completely dry. That was _amazing_. I don't think he truly realized or accepted how powerful he was, especially now that I saw that he was able to do that. I wonder how many people knew that he was capable of that. Probably not many.

I was so stunned by all of this that I didn't even notice him running towards me now. He was so close that I barely had time to turn and run again. He caught me around the waist, spinning me around a few times before putting me back down, keeping his arms wrapped around me.

I looked to see we were in my grandparent's garden, right by the princess tree. I walked closer, bringing Percy with me so I could see what was inscribed on the little metal plate.

_Avalon Violet le Fay_

_August 19, 1974 - August 19, 1993_

_Loving Daughter, Wife, Friend, Sister, and Mother_

I remembered seeing this all the time when I was younger. When Val and I would stay here during school breaks, I'd sit in front of this tree and pretend I could talk to my mom. I'd tell her all about my school, my friends, and everything that was going on in my life, as if she could hear me.

"Your mom?" Percy asked softly and I nodded. "She died on the same day she was born." I nodded once more. "That's like Shakespeare."

"How do you know that?" I asked, a little surprised.

He shrugged. "I guess I actually paid attention for that class in English," he said and I chuckled. "Well, it's either that or Annabeth mentioned it at some point." That sounded like something she would talk about.

I looked back up at the tree, silently praying to any god that would listen to me to give me a sign - any sign as to where we needed to go. I suddenly collapsed to the ground, finding it hard to breathe when I saw it all. The sun, a laurel wreath, a scrying glass, and the all-seeing eye.

"Em, are you okay? Can you hear me?" Percy asked frantically as I cam to, finally able to see what was in front of me again.

I nodded, finding it hard to talk because I was still catching my breath, balancing on my hands and knees while Percy kneeled beside me. "I know where we have to go."

"So...can we go swimming now?"


	16. Some Unexpected Visitors

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, series, characters, movies, or anything else that you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! It's been awhile sine I've posted because I'm so busy lately! I'm right in the midst of competition season, not to mention I'm playing the lead (Cinderella in "Into the Woods") and making all the sets. So I've been pretty busy. But here is another chapter, and I'm adding a bonus one! So don't forget to check that out! Thanks in advance for the favorites, reviews, and alerts (this is my way of telling you to do it :P).

**Chapter Sixteen**  
**Some Unexpected Visitors**

I never got to go swimming.

Apparently, this key, or whatever it was would be at Apollo's shrine in Delphi, where the Oracle had been originally located. We were all a bit shocked by this sudden epiphany, but went along with it anyways. Andee couldn't believe it herself, saying it was "so obvious that she should've thought to look there in the first place".

So we were all to pack our bags and get ready to leave first thing the next morning. We would have to travel to Athens by boat which would take us about six hours - assuming we didn't get attacked, which was very likely. Annabeth insisted we go visit the Temple of Athena while we were in Athens, and Grover said we should go to my dad's temple as well. Andee agreed, saying there would be enough time to go to both. From there we'd bus from Athenos to Delphi, which would take three hours.

So it was decided that once we were in Athens we would stay there for the day - do some touring, see some of the temples and museums, and then stay the night. The next day we'd hop on the bus to Delphi, where we'd hopefully find the key.

"It'll be there, trust me," Andee said as we ate breakfast the next morning, my arm around her tiny waist.

"It was a vision of different objects, how can you be sure?" Annabeth asked.

"Annie, I just know," Andee said and Annabeth sighed, giving in to Andee. A lot of people seemed to do that - me included. "We just need to be prepared because up until now, there haven't been any attacks - we need to expect the worst."

"You just cursed it, I hope you realize that," Grover said and Andee shrugged.

"Nothing we can't handle, right?" Andee asked.

Oh, how I wish she knew how wrong she was.

Andee's grandparents gave us all a ride down to the port where a small ferry was waiting for everyone. They hugged Andee tightly and made her promise to visit more often before leaving. We bought tickets and got on, waiting for the boat to take off.

Once the boat started on its journey to Athens, it was just a matter of finding something relatively interesting to do. Annabeth was reading something in Ancient Greek that I couldn't be bothered to find out the name of, Grover was collecting some cans to munch on, and Andee was just finishing talking on her phone in a different language. I guess she was making up with her dad or something. She slipped her phone into her pocket and began to pace at the bow of the boat, a nervous look on her face.

"What's the matter, Sunny?" I asked, hugging her from behind. I loved how she fit so perfectly in my arms, like she was meant to be there.

"Just...nervous, I guess," she said, putting her hands on top of mine, tangling her fingers with my own.

"Nervous about what?" I asked, kissing her cheek.

"I just want this quest to go well," she said quietly, looking off into the distance. "So much rides on us finding that key. The consequences of not finding it could be really horrible."

"The Prophecy said that too," I said and she grimaced. "Do you know what's going to happen exactly?"

"I don't know for sure - I'm just letting my imagination run wild, I guess," she said.

"Tell me what you're thinking."

She turned to me so that she was leaning against the railing and looking right at me. I put my hands on her hips, sliding them under her shirt so I could rub circles on her bare skin with my thumbs. "The world as we know it will be over, Percy."

"But there will still be demigods -"

"We'll all be hunted down and killed off one by one," Andee interrupted. "The Titan Lord will take over everything. The gods will all disappear, and we'll be left to try to take over, which will be impossible." I hadn't really thought about it like that. We really were doomed if we didn't succeed on this quest.

"Dee, we can do this," I told her, sounding a lot more confident than I felt.

"I don't know, Percy, I really don't know if we can," she said, looking down at her feet. I lifted her face with a few of my fingers so she was looking me in the eyes.

"Don't think like that, Sunshine, okay?" I asked. "We will do this, and we'll keep looking until we find it, even if that means doing it while the lord of the Titans is ruling. Trust me, 'kay?"

"Okay," she said softly, her thoughts obviously elsewhere. "I just don't want anyone to get hurt because I couldn't find it."

"No one will get hurt, I promise," I said, hugging her against me. I was about to separate when she wrapped her own arms around me tighter.

"Don't let go, just hold me, okay?" she mumbled, and I chuckled a little as I held her tightly. She felt so small in my arms, but I liked the feeling. I felt like I could protect her from anything and everything - and that's what I wanted to do. It's what I would do. "I like you so much."

I pressed my lips against hers and she eagerly responded, her lips incredibly soft and warm against mine. I held her by her hips, bringing her close and not able to help the smile that kept growing on my face as I kissed her.

"Stop it!" Annabeth shrieked, coming in between us and pushing us apart. "I told you - no PDA! Go find somewhere else or something. The cabins below the deck are empty because this is just a day trip, so go down there or something. But please be careful - we don't need you two getting caught sneaking around."

"Sure thing, Bethie," Andee grinned wickedly, leading me down a hallway, looking at all the doors before finding the one with BAINSC written on it. I'm assuming that meant cabins, because Andee swung the door open and led me down the corridor.

She spun around so she was facing me and smiled brightly before leading me into one of the cabins. "How can you be so happy all the time?" I asked her, noticing how she was pretty much always smiling.

"Maybe I'm not - maybe I'm only happy when I'm with you," she countered.

"Then why are you always smiling, even when I'm not with you?"

"Maybe I'm thinking of you," she said, smiling impishly. I smiled at the idea that she was thinking of me even when I wasn't there. "And besides, no one's happy all the time."

"You sure seem to accomplish it."

"Maybe I don't have very much to be unhappy about," she said simply before pulling on my shirt, bringing me close to her before gently placing her lips over top of mine. I started manoeuvring her through the cabin, stroking, touching, and exploring her with gentle hands. I eased her down onto the mattress, feeling the weight shift as she clung to me.

My hands were as restless as hers, and I had no idea how long we were lying there like that, on the bed, our hands searching each other with a frenzied passion. I felt like I couldn't get close enough to her, as though these were the only moments we would ever have together and we needed to take advantage of this precious time. And for all we knew, this could be the last moments we had together. We were half-bloods after all.

But our kisses became something infinitely deeper. They took on an unhurried quality as we began to learn the taste and feel of each other. I loved the way we fit together, like two halves of a whole. For a moment, our lips parted and I looked down at her. Andee's lips curled in a bashful smile. I craved the feeling of her swollen lips against mine, and my desire flared hotly. As I closed the distance between us, she turned her head and looked at the wall. I kissed her neck, trailing kisses all along her neck and jawline. She moaned a little as she shifted underneath me. "Percy -"

"What's the matter?" I muttered against her skin and she made a shushing sound, and pointed to the wall. She squirmed out from underneath me and pressed her ear to the wall. I mimicked her actions and heard voices on the other side of the wall.

"Do you have them?" a deep voice asked. Their voice was distant, like it was coming from another place.

"Not yet, massster, but sssoon," a woman's voice said, dragging out the "s" sound, making her sound a bit like a deflating balloon.

"Hurry! The half-bloods are essential to this! You need to make sure that they don't get anywhere near that maze, otherwise the plan will not work," the person yelled. Their voice sounded familiar but I couldn't put a face to it.

"Scythian Dracaena," Andee whispered and I nodded. "We need to get off this boat. Now."

"Right," I said as Andee's eyes became cloudy and unfocused. Within a moment, they were right back to normal.

"Annabeth and Grover are getting a lifeboat ready for us to escape in," Andee said, flipping her bag around and pulling out her dagger and archery stuff, doing her usual battle prep.

"Wait - how do you know that?" I asked.

"Annabeth and I have a...special connection," Andee said vaguely. "We're bonded for life - there's no time to go into details right now."

"I'll take your word for it," I said as Andee opened the door a crack and was immediately thrown back. I whipped out Riptide and got ready to fight when I saw a group of five or six Scythian Dracaenas.

Andee was sprawled on the ground, shocked from the attack, but she looked more mad than anything else. And I've learned that when Andee's mad, you don't get in her way. She gets a little...violent.

"Well, excuse me!" Andee said, shooting her hands out in front of her, sending flames at a couple of the Scythian Dracaenas but the fire soon dissolved, as if she had done nothing at all. "Seems I'm going to have to show you dragon ladies my _electrifying _personality."

She grabbed her dagger out of her garter and nodded at me before going to fight them. I followed her lead, unsheathing my sword and going at them. They were able to defend themselves a lot better than the other times I had had to fight them, and it took a lot longer than it should have for us to defeat them.

"Let's go," Andee said, barely glancing at the piles of gold dust that were now sitting in front of us. We ran back up the stairs and on the deck where we got a few looks from people, now that I had fresh wounds and Andee had a bit of dried blood on her pale skin. We ran for it, jumping into the lifeboat that Annabeth and Grover had waiting for us. I sliced the ropes on the way down, sending the small lifeboat down into the Aegean Sea, almost throwing us all out, if we hadn't grasped the edge like we did.

Andee slipped and fell into my lap, so I tentatively wrapped my arm around her waist, looking at her as if to ask if this was alright. She gave a slight nod of the head and I relaxed a bit as she wiggled around, getting comfortable.

"That was close," Grover mentioned, seeing one of the reformed Scythian Dracaena at the edge of the boat, cursing us in Ancient Greek.

"What exactly happened?" Annabeth asked and I filled them in on what we had heard them saying before they attacked us. Andee was content to just sit in my lap, fiddling with my fingers. "So apparently, someone's trying to kill us to keep us away from this key."

"Sounds about right," I said.

"Story of our lives, isn't it?" Annabeth asked and Andee, Annabeth, Grover, and I shared a laugh. Since we still had a four and a half hour boat ride left to Athens, I focused on the waves carrying us there as fast as possible because this was going to be a boring trip...hopefully.


	17. We Act Like Tourists

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, series, characters, movies, or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **And here is the other chapter! And you know what I found out? They are making a Sea of Monsters movie, and filming in Vancouver (where I live)! And because I'm already in the film industry, hopefully I'll get on the set again (I was an extra in the first one as well). It starts filming as soon as my classes end, so it's looking good for me! Don't forget to review, favorite, and alert!

**Chapter Seventeen**  
**We Act Like Tourists**

When we finally got on land, I think we were all pretty glad. Four and a half hours sitting in a cramped, little lifeboat wasn't exactly my favourite way to pass the time, I'll tell you that much. It was better than being chased by monsters though. We all had to take a few minutes just to stretch before we could start on our way.

We went to the bus station and bought the tickets for tomorrow before finding a modest motel to stay in for the night. Annabeth had picked up a map at the station and Grover and Andee were leaning over it, figuring out where the temples we would be seeing were, as they were the only ones who could read both English and Greek, and were the most knowledgeable in Greek mythology (even though Annabeth strongly disagreed with me on that one).

We all freshened up a bit and had something to drink and eat before heading out to our first destination - the Temple of Athena. It was a long walk - something we were all definitely accustomed to - until we saw the crowds of tourists flocking to it.

Andee had her camera out the whole time and was taking more pictures, apparently feeling like a tourist when she did.

"How come your batteries haven't died?" I asked as we slowly walked up the stairs, sticking behind a particularly slow tourist group.

"I just give them a little zap," she said, poking me and sending an electrical current through my arm, "and they're good as new."

"That hurt, you know," I mentioned, rubbing the spot on my arm.

She stood on her toes and gently pressed her lips against mine. "Better now?"

"Much," I said, making her grin spread. "You know, I'm a little disappointed we didn't get more time on the ferry."

"Don't worry - we'll have plenty of time for all that once we get back to the motel, and Camp after that." She winked at me. We finally got to the top and saw the ruins that had probably once been an elaborate temple. Annabeth started telling us all these facts about it, a bright smile on her face. As bored as we all were, we pretended to pay attention because we knew things like this were her passion.

Andee was going around, snapping pictures at all different angles before getting us all to stand in front of it at different turns so she could get pictures.

"Annie, we should go inside," Andee whispered, so no one else around us could hear.

"That's not allowed, Andee! It's a fragile artifact -"

"That was built in honour of your mom, so I think we have full rights to get a closer look," Andee argued and Annabeth sighed. "Get out your hat." Annabeth pulled out her Yankees baseball cap before Andee turned to us, "Stay here, we'll be back in a couple of minutes."

Annabeth put on the hat and grabbed Andee, making her invisible as well because I heard them running towards the temple. Grover and I waited around, looking more at it as we awaited the return of the girls.

"You and Andee seem to really be getting along," Grover mentioned casually.

"Yeah," I said, smiling as I thought about her. "I think I'm in love with her."

"I have no doubt that you are," Grover said and I remembered that he could read emotions. "You know, it's weird - I can read everyone's emotions but hers."

"What?" I asked, this being the first time I had heard of this.

"I don't know why, her mind is blocked off really well for some reason. I bet if we knew someone who could read minds, they wouldn't be able to read hers," Grover said and I couldn't help but wonder why. I mean, I had gotten into her mind, and so had that shadow thing...so why couldn't anyone else?

Annabeth appeared in front of us, but Andee was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Andee?" Grover asked.

"She apparently liked being invisible so she's dancing around or something like that," Annabeth said, rolling her eyes at her friend's behaviour. Suddenly I was tackled from behind and I was going to attack whatever it was when I heard Andee's tinkling laugh. I reached out and felt for her until I got the hat off, and she was rolling on the ground, laughing hysterically. "This is why we don't trust Andee with being invisible."

"Yeah, I'm thinking that's probably a good idea," I said, looking at my girlfriend laughing like a hyena on the ground.

Once Andee had calmed down, she explained that the Temple of Poseidon would take awhile to get to because it was outside of Athens in Sounion. Either way, we began walking there and by the time we got there, the sun was starting to set. There were very few tourists around the ruins on top of the cliff, overlooking the Aegean Sea.

Annabeth started listing off facts about this temple too as Andee took pictures of everything, including all of us again. "Go up and see it, we'll keep guard," Andee whispered and I nodded before going into the ruins. At the far side, it looked like the ocean was right below me.

_Dad_, I thought, _please help us on this quest. I know you're not supposed to directly intervene or anything, but we need help. If the world goes is taken over by the Titans, I don't know what's going to happen. Please, please help us._

I had no idea if my prayer would work, or if my dad would be able to hear it, but either way, it was worth a try. I suddenly got an idea. "Hey, Andee!" She looked over at me. "Come over here!"

She gave her camera to Annabeth before she jogged up where I was standing and stopped, placing her hands on her hips. "What's up, Percy, m'dear?"

"I just wanted to do this," I said, pulling her into a kiss and wrapping my arms rightly around her. She snaked her arms around my neck and kissed me back, a small smile on her face. "You're so beautiful," I whispered to her, making her smile even more and blush.

"You're not too bad yourself, Percy," she said, her arms still around my neck and her face only inches from mine. "I really didn't think I'd ever feel like this about someone."

"Me neither," I told her and she leaned her head against my chest. We eventually left and walked back to the motel, an even longer walk than before but no one seemed to complain. We spent the whole time talking and laughing as Andee laced her fingers with mine, swinging our connected hands the whole time.

"So, what happened the other years you guys were at camp?" Andee asked. Annabeth, Grover, and I exchanged glances before we started telling our heroic tales of everything that had happened, starting with finding out that I was a demigod. She listened intently as we all took turns telling her what happened. "That must've been so much fun!"

"Oh yes, getting attacked every day, having to go to the Underworld and other creepy places is so much fun," Grover said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at her.

"You are just a pessimist," Andee said. "You just have to see things in a good light. Like the quest we're on right now, most people would see it as horrific and terrifying, but we've been managing to have a good time, have we not?"

"It's a quest where multiple monsters are trying to kill us. That's not really fun in my books," Grover argued.

"Think about it - we got to go to a nightclub, we've gotten to go to Greece and see where all of our lives truly started, see wonderful monuments, get closer with each other, and we're all going to save the world! Sounds like a pretty good thing to me," Andee said. I agreed with her. I got to spend all this time with her after all, and it seemed to be paying off in the relationship department.

We got back to the motel at around midnight, and everyone was wasted. We all quickly got ready for bed, taking showers and getting into pyjamas before looking at the room to try and figure out sleeping arrangements. We had two beds and a couch to sleep on.

It was finally decided that Annabeth and Andee would sleep in one bed, me in the other, and Grover would take the couch. I noticed Andee was wearing my shirt and I was about to say something when she smirked at me, giving me a look that clearly said she wasn't going to give it back to me.

"You do know I'm going to need that back," I told her, wrapping my arms around her.

"You may need it back, but you're not going to get it," she said in a sing-song voice, kissing me lightly on the lips. "Goodnight, Ducky."

"Ducky?" I asked and she grinned before I kissed her back. "'Night, Sunshine." She climbed into the bed with Annabeth as I got into my own and we both fell asleep.

_I was standing in front of the same golden coffin, and I felt like rolling my eyes. I didn't feel like dealing with this again. I should've just taken out Riptide and stabbed Kronos, who was taking over Luke's body. I had a feeling it wouldn't help, and not just because it was a nightmare. _

The little hero_, Kronos mused, the eyes of Luke's body still closed, _You have been misled. _An invisible force pulled me forward. _Help me rise, boy. Bring me the girl and hit the gods with a treacherous blow!

_I shook my head. A voice started asking me to wake up, telling me to wake up._

"Percy!" I looked beside me to see Andee crouched beside my bed. Her hair was a bit messy, but she looked really concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," I told her, my breathing started to go back to normal. "I'm fine."

"You look like -" she stopped, inspecting me closer for a moment. She stood up and on the edge of my bed, leaning back on her hand and closing her eyes. "I haven't been completely honest with you about my nightmares."

"Oh?"

"Only because...well, it's not something I really like to talk about and I thought he might be appearing to you too, but I wasn't sure, and now I'm almost one hundred percent certain that he is," Andee said hurriedly.

"Andee, you're not making a lot of sense," I said and Annabeth stirred in her sleep, making a bit of a moaning noise. Andee pointed to the door and stood up, creeping over and out. I followed behind her.

"The Lord of the Titans is trying to invade my mind," Andee said once we were in the hallway, letting herself slide down the wall to sit down. Unfortunately, that was exactly what I had feared.

"How do you know for sure?" I asked.

She held up her necklace, the jewel now a sickening green. "My dad gave this to me a long time ago to show the state of my mind and soul. It used to be pure white. It'll be gold soon, I expect."

"What does he want with you?"

Andee shrugged. "I wish I knew. It doesn't really make sense to me, personally, but whatever."

"So that's why you get the migraines?"

She nodded. "It's because of the fight to keep control. My inner part of me, my soul I guess, is fighting to keep me in control while he also fights to get me. It's not a pleasant experience."

"I got that." Seeing her crying and moaning like that, not able to stand the dark or any noise was horrible. Not something I'd like to see repeated any time soon, but I was pretty sure it would happen a lot sooner than I wanted. "But why is he trying to invade your mind when he's already taking over someone else's body to use?"

She frowned. "That is strange...like I said, I really don't understand it, but it's going to happen eventually. When I make eye contact, apparently. Lee's already foreseen it happening, just not the circumstances."

"Aren't you scared?"

"Of course I'm scared. I'm terrified, if I'm being honest," she said, leaning her head on my shoulder. "I should be the only one in control of me. No one else should be able to do that. But I know it's going to happen, and I just have to keep trying to change what's already been foreseen. D'you know how hard that is?"

"Very," I said, thinking of the Prophecy about myself, and how even though I had found two other people who it could've been about, but they were both exempt. Thalia, daughter of Zeus, became a Hunter before she turned sixteen. Nico was only fourteen. I was pretty much the only person who it could be about now, and I only had a vague idea what it predicted.

"I hate being a demigod some days," Andee sighed. I wrapped my arm around her and gave her a one-armed hug. "Wanna go back to bed?"

"It would probably be a good idea - we've got to get up early," I said and she nodded, forcing herself to her feet. She took my hand and pulled me up, leading the way back into the room. Instead of going back to the bed with Annabeth, she climbed in with me, wrapping an arm around my torso. I kissed her lightly on the top of the head before closing my eyes and trying to sleep.


	18. The Trap

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, series, movies, or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! So here's a quick update! I'm trying to get all the chapters for this story done, but I just finished my first novel, so I'm in editting mode more than anything. But know that I'm trying and that reviews do inspire me to write more!

**Chapter Eighteen**  
**The Trap**

We all woke up early that morning to make sure we had plenty of time to get ready, eat breakfast, and get to the bus station with time to spare. Once we grabbed some bagels, fruit, and coffee to go from the motel's lobby and packed our bags, we all headed down to the bus station, with just a few minutes to spare. The bus pulled up to the station just as we walked in. Everyone began pulling out their tickets, and Andee simply reached into her bag and handed one to each of us.

We boarded the charter bus and automatically sat at the back, right by the emergency exit. It was always a good thing to do in case of a monster attack. Just seemed like the natural thing to do now.

Once the bus roared to life, Andee turned to me and asked, "Have you ever dated someone before me?"

Annabeth immediately started turning red in the seat across the aisle. I chuckled nervously, scratching my head as my cheeks grew warm. Andee looked between the two of us, her grin growing. "No way, you two dated?"

"Very briefly."

"Only a few days really."

Andee didn't stop smiling. "So did you guys kiss? What happened?"

Annabeth gave her friend a look. "Yes, we kissed and it was pretty much in that moment that we decided we were a lot better off as friends."

"Gods, that is great," Andee said, laughing a little. You know, I had to give myself props for choosing the girl who didn't get jealous.

"What about you?" I asked.

Andee glanced down at her hands for a moment, folding them in her lap. "I have had one boyfriend before you, his name was Lucas, and it didn't end well." I looked over at her to see if she would elaborate. "He wanted to have sex with me, and when I refused, he went and did it with one of my so-called friends."

"Oh."

"Yeah, it's not exactly something I prefer to think about," Andee said. "I mean, I was never in love with him, so what really hurt was just that someone would do that to me." A pause. "He was also the one who called me weak."

That made a lot of sense.

"You know I'd never do that to you, right?" I asked her quietly, taking her hand in mine.

She smiled shyly and nodded, lifted our joined hands and gently pressing her lips against my hand. I kissed her and she eagerly responded back, moving so that she was straddling my lap. Occasionally she'd break away just so that she could smile at me. It was a gorgeous sight. Her flushed cheeks, her sparkling eyes, her bright, mischievous grin outlined by her pink, swollen lips.

We calmed down a bit, but she stayed on my lap, allowing me to slowly run my hands up and down her thighs, up her back, and to grip her butt. She just smiled, resting her arms around my neck and playing with my hair.

"So what is that connection thing you mentioned?" I asked and Andee tilted her head and gazed at me - a clear sign that she was confused. "When you said that you and Annabeth were 'bonded for life'."

"You told him?" Annabeth asked. She seemed angry about it.

"Didn't know it was a secret," Andee shrugged carelessly. "And besides, I didn't tell him everything - it was just a passing comment."

"What are you guys talking about?" Grover asked and the two girls exchanged looks before turning back to the two of us.

"Annabeth died," Andee said simply. "And I brought her back to life. Hence, we are 'bonded for life'."

Annabeth gave her a look that clearly said that it wasn't a good explanation. Andee just shrugged and smiled at her friend. "When we were younger, we were hit by a drunk driver. We both died in the crash, but being Andee, she regenerated within a few minutes of the impact. Somehow, when she saw me, she managed to help me regenerate and it created this mental bond between us. We can communicate through out minds, and sense when the other is in danger, hurt, or in Andee's case - dead."

"Wait - so you can read each other's minds? Like X-Men?" I asked and Annabeth rolled her eyes. Apparently that wasn't the response she was looking for.

"Oh! I never thought of it that way! That makes it seem even cooler!" Andee exclaimed, obviously excited by this new revelation.

"Andee, tell Annabeth something using the bond," I said excitedly, anxious to see how this worked. Annabeth looked at Andee who just shrugged in response. Andee then smiled at Annabeth, wiggling her eyebrows.

"I'm not telling him that and you're most definitely not doing that!" Annabeth shrieked, looking disgusted.

"You're not going to tell who what?" Grover asked.

"You don't want to know," Annabeth said before looking pointedly at me. "You might want to know what she said, but I wouldn't tell you for any amount of money in the world."

"I told her that we were going to have a little fun on her bed once we got back to camp," Andee whispered in my ear, making my cheeks grow warm.

"Andee, if you try it, I swear I have no problem killing you," Annabeth warned.

"Aww, I love you too, Annabeth!" Andee said, making a lame attempt to reach over and hug Annabeth, who just swatted her away.

"You're annoying."

"And you're a know-it-all."

"You're insane."

"I hope you realize that's a compliment to me," Andee pointed out which just made Annabeth scowl. "Love you, Bethie," Andee said in a sweet voice, batting her eyelashes at her.

"I hate you."

"You love me."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"No."

"Yes," Annabeth said before realizing she had just screwed up, courtesy of Andee's mind games.

"See? You do love me!" Andee exclaimed, an impish smile on her face. She knew she had won too, and we all knew that was a hard thing to do when Annabeth was involved.

"You're impossible," Annabeth spat.

"But you love me," Andee's grin couldn't get any bigger than it was at that moment. She looked like a Cheshire cat.

"Yeah, whatever."

"She loves me," Andee stage-whispered to me. I love you too, I wanted to say. But I couldn't. I didn't want to say or do too much too soon. I didn't want her to leave me because I got ahead of myself.

"So does someone else," Annabeth said in a sing-song voice and I glared at her.

"Who?" Andee asked, twisting around in my lap. I had to think fast before Annabeth did something I didn't want done. I grabbed Andee and pressed my lips against hers, her own hands grabbing the front of my shirt.

"Seriously?" I heard Annabeth ask in disbelief, totally forgetting what we had been talking about before. I could tell she was rolling her eyes at us without even looking. I didn't care. As long as she didn't let my secret slip (which I don't know how she figured it out) and I had Andee in my arms, everything was okay with me.

We stayed like that for most of the trip, Andee having slid off my lap and choosing to instead cuddle into my arms, all of us talking and trying to keep the atmosphere light as we went off to our most certain doom. Once we were in the busy city of Delphi, it was time to get instructions.

Well, at least the girls thought it was.

I thought we could find it on our own, but Annabeth and Andee seemed to disagree with me. So they went into one of the stores and Andee asked one of the employees for directions in Greek, and Andee translated it for Annabeth who was writing it all down in Ancient Green so that any of us could read it.

So once we got the extremely unnecessary directions, we began to walk in the direction that the guy had told Andee and Annabeth to go. They led the way, their pinkies hooked, showing how close their relationship really was once more.

"They look like sisters," Grover muttered to me as we trailed behind them.

"I think they are in every way except blood," I told him and he nodded in agreement. Even though Annabeth and Andee weren't physically talking, I had a feeling they were using their bond to talk. About what, I had no idea, but I was hoping it wasn't about me. Then again, it might be good if they're talking about me.

It was another long walk to get to the Oracle at Delphi, but once we did, Andee froze a few feet away from the entrance and observed the sight in front of her. "There it is."

"The key?" I asked, squinting to try to see where it was.

"No, the Oracle at Delphi," Andee corrected, gazing at the ruins. "This is where the first quest was given."

It was weird to think that before us, Hercules had been here, consulting the Oracle to find out what he would have to do. The same went for Perseus and every other hero that came before us. It was almost like a monument to every hero to ever live.

"So, here's what we're going to do," Andee said before going into the plan that Andee and Annabeth had been concocting on the way over here. Annabeth and Grover would invisibly go into the ruins and wait until everyone was gone and all the security was put up. Annabeth would communicate with Andee and me, telling us how to disarm everything and get back to us. We'd get in, fight whatever was guarding it, and get out and back to Camp as soon as possible.

So Annabeth and Grover went ahead invisibly to stake out the ruins and be unseen by any tourists or security guards. So Andee and I had to chill out here while Annabeth and Grover hung out there. Well, at least Andee and I could have a little fun...

"So...what do you want to do while we wait?" I asked suggestively, waggling my eyebrows at her.

"Stretch," she said, ignoring my advance as she stood up from the bench we were sitting on to start stretching out her legs and arms. I couldn't help but notice how her butt looked when she bent over. Don't judge me - you would've done it too.

After she was done with that, she came and sat back down on the bench with me, completely silent. She stayed like that for awhile, completely unresponsive when I wrapped my arm around her. "You okay?" I asked.

"Something feels...off," Andee said, staring straight ahead.

"What do you mean 'off'?" I questioned.

"I don't know, maybe I'm being dramatic," she said, starting to relax again. But she didn't have time to rest for long, because soon it was dark and Annabeth contacted her through the bond and told her it was time.

We approached the ruins carefully; Andee had a completely calm look on her face as she went through each security measure, disarming it the way Annabeth told her. Pretty soon, we were in the center of the Oracle at Delphi with Annabeth and Grover.

"So where is it?" Grover asked, looking around.

"It's here - I can feel it," Andee said, glancing around the area as well. "It's here, but it's like it's just out of my grasp."

"Andee, face it - it's not here!" Annabeth said, obviously frustrated by all of this.

"'_Four will go east to where it all started_'," Andee said. "This is where the quests first started; it's here - besides I can feel it. Andee glanced around again. "Wait - something's not right."

"What do you mean?" I asked, knowing that if this was the second she was feeling something off here, than there was definitely something wrong.

"There's all this power around me," she explained, making weird hand gestures. "It feels like...like a _trap_."

Everything went black around us.


	19. Our Worst Fears Come True

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, series, movies, characters or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! I got a review today saying "UPDATE" so, I figured I should probably do that. Here's the next chapter, and don't forget to read, review, favorite, and alert it!

**Chapter Nineteen  
Our Worst Fears Come True  
**

I sat up, rubbing my head where I must've fallen. Jeez, I really had to be more careful about these things. I rubbed my eyes and looked around to see myself in a pure white room. There was a metal bed-type thing in the middle, a little movable tray with all sorts of doctor's tools, and a completely metal wall with all these drawers.

Where was I? Last I remembered, we had been in the ruins of the Oracle at Delphi when Andee was saying that something didn't feel right...damn, I should've listened to her the first time she said it and gotten all of us out of there right away. Where was everyone now, anyways?

"Annabeth! Grover! Andee!" I called out. My only response was my voice echoing against the walls. I cursed under my breath before standing up and looking around a bit, not that there was much to look at.

"Do you have the files?" someone asked right before a doctor came breezing through a door I hadn't even noticed was there. An assistant came rushing in behind him, holding a pile of files.

"Yes, right here, doctor," the assistant said, handing the folders over to the doctor. The doctor skimmed through them before handing them back to the assistant.

"Excellent, everything seems to be in order - bring in the body," the doctor said.

Body?

The assistant rushed out of the room before coming back with a gurney in tow. Oh gods, this was disgusting. I was in an autopsy suite! The body had been moved on to the operating table but was still covered.

"So we have three bodies to look at - two already in the freezer, and then the one you just brought in, correct?" the doctor asked and the assistant nodded. "Perfect. Let's take a look at the first one."

They pulled open a drawer and revealed a body. I was horrified at the thought of a body being right there, but my curiosity got the best of me. I looked over to see Grover's body lying there, paler than normal and his eyes closed over. He was completely naked except for a cloth covering his groin. There was a y-shape cut into his torso that made me feel like I was going to vomit.

It couldn't be - I wouldn't let it. Grover couldn't be dead; he was with me just a few minutes ago!

"Satyr," the assistant mentioned. "Name's Grover Underwood. Died of Carbon Monoxide poisoning." He pushed the drawer in casually as if there wasn't a former living person lying in it before pulling open the next one.

"Which one is this?" the doctor asked, looking at the body. Now I was afraid to look, but being ADHD, my curiosity always got the best of me.

"Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. Got bitten by a black widow spider. Doctors couldn't find out what was wrong until it was too late." Annabeth was lying on the metal drawer, her usually tan skin paler than I'd ever seen. This time they had a cloth covering her chest as well as her groin.

"And where is the bite," the doctor asked, incredibly interested in this.

"Side of the neck," the assistant said, moving Annabeth's hair out of the way to show a huge, swollen area with a smaller kind of hole that had crusty, yellow stuff in the middle of it.

Not Annabeth too. Not my best friends. This couldn't be happening - I couldn't deal with this!

"LET ME OUT!" I screamed at them, tears pricking at my eyes. I tried to bust open the doors and get out. It was no use - the doors were locked tight from the outside. I wasn't the type of person to cry willingly, but this was all too much. I wouldn't let them see my cry - I couldn't give whoever was doing this that kind of power.

"Now onto the newest corpse - this one looked quite interesting on the police report," the doctor, who I had now figured out was really a mortician, said as he walked over to the autopsy table. "Apparently the next in a group of them to be killed."

"No," I whispered pleadingly, not wanting to know who was next. Unfortunately I had a horrible feeling I already did. "Please, no."

"Andee le Fay," the assistant read off the file. Tears started streaming down my face. I couldn't hold it in any longer. This was horrible! I couldn't take it! I'd rather _die_ than have to watch all of this.

"What a shame, she was a pretty little thing," the doctor said, barely a trace of sympathy in his voice as he touched her deathly pale face.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER, YOU ASSHOLE!" I screamed, trying to punch him in the head, but it had no effect. It was like he didn't even feel it - god forbid they should notice I was there.

Andee looked different than the other too. Her normally piercing green eyes were open and glazed over, the area around her eyes sunken in. I could see the fear in her eyes. How terrified she had been before she died. Her lips were slightly parted and limp, and her pale skin had a bluish tint to it now.

"Now where are the wounds?" the doctor asked and the assistant flipped her body over carelessly, as if it hadn't once been a living, breathing person and showed the doctor her back. It was torn apart, making it resemble ground meat. There was no flesh left. "Those hellhounds can be pretty ruthless."

"Apparently they're her only weakness," the assistant said, bringing a file over to the doctor. "Her files shows evidence of an attack when she was about ten years old that almost killed her."

"NO!" I screamed, but it was no use. I rushed to Andee and took her limp hand in mine. "I'm so sorry, baby, I love you. I love you so much. I should've told you that when you were alive, but I love you. I love you so, so much."

I couldn't stand this. I felt like I couldn't exist if she was dead. A part of me had been ripped out of me and was now causing me physical pain. I knew that not having her with me was what was causing the pain. I truly loved her with all of my heart, and now that she was gone, I knew I couldn't go on.

I used all of my power to break free, for all of this to end but no matter what I did, I couldn't break out of this nightmare.

Nightmare...that's what this was! It was a nightmare! I suddenly fell backwards and when I opened my eyes again, I was in a pitch black corridor. I took out Riptide and the celestial bronze gave off a faint glow, barely allowing me to see a few inches in front of me.

I guess it was better than nothing. I took a few moments to just calm myself down. Grover, Annabeth, and Andee weren't dead. They were alive, just...lost. Somewhere in the darkness. Hopefully they weren't going to have to go through what I just did, but I doubted that they weren't. I knew one thing for sure - when I found Andee, I was going to tell her how much I loved her, no matter what the consequences were.

I walked around aimlessly, occasionally hitting a wall which gave me the impression that this was some sort of a demented maze. I didn't know where I was going anymore. Hell, I didn't know where I was to start with. I didn't know where anyone was and I didn't know how to get us out.

After running into a wall for about the tenth time, I got pissed off and kicked it, deciding to cut through it to just make things easier. As soon as I was about to walk through the opening I had made, it was like a barrier held me back.

"No, no, no," a female voice said. It seemed like the voice was coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. "Silly little demigod, that's not part of the game!"

"Who's there?" I called, spinning around with my sword at the ready.

"You'll find out soon enough - you've got to finish playing my game though," she said, two male voices cackling in the background. "And there's no cutting through the walls in this game. You're the rat and you've got to find the cheese the old-fashioned way."

"Just give me my friends and let us all go!" I called, making all three of them laugh like hyenas this time.

"Like we'd really do that," she said. "You've got to play the game fair and square and then we'll talk - face to face. Now if I were you, I'd hurry because I don't know how long your satyr friend will last in that fire."

"What fire?" I demanded, but they didn't reply. Apparently, they thought they had already given me too much information.

"NO!" a familiar cry alerted me right away. I bolted in the direction of the sound with Riptide held firmly in front of me. I came to a skidding stop when I saw Grover leaning over something invisible. I put a hand on his shoulder, trying to get his attention, but instead I was dragged into his nightmare.


	20. Let's Play A Game

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, series, movies, characters, or anything else you may recognize. **  
**

**Author's Note: **I got another review that simply read "update" so I figured I should do that. :) By the way, if you would like to see some of the signatures I made for the characters in this story and in the upcoming sequel, there is a link on my author's page. Enjoy the chapter and please review! It really does make a difference in how fast these chapters get written and posted!

**Chapter Twenty**  
**Let's Play A Game**

All around me a forest burning, human beings the cause of it all. You could see their silhouettes along the outskirts of the woods holding containers of kerosene and spreading it all over the place, throwing in matches to burn it all up. There were also all sorts of garbage littering the ground and different woodland creatures were running away, trying to escape death by smoke inhalation or burning to death.

I found Grover in the middle of it all, huddled on his knees as he cried over the burnt body of another satyr. He was crying his eyes out, devastated by what was happening and by the death of one of his own.

"Grover!" I yelled above all the other sounds, trying to get his attention. When I looked closely at the satyr's corpse that Grover was weeping over, I suddenly got the feeling that it wasn't just any satyr - it was Pan. The God of Nature. The same god that Grover was supposed to be searching for to prove that he was still alive. And here he was - dead.

"Percy?" Grover whimpered, looking up at me, clearly confused. He suddenly started wiping at his eyes. I didn't judge him and didn't plan on doing that either - I knew this was his greatest fear, just like mine was seeing all my loved ones die. "Look at what the humans have done - they've ruined everything!" He looked like he was going to start crying again.

"No, Grover, this is a nightmare - you just have to wake up!" I told him.

"You're right - this is a nightmare. I wish I could wake up from this...if only they knew what they were doing. If only they knew that they were just killing themselves!" he shouted at the people lighting the forest on fire. They all began to laugh at him.

"Grover, this is literally a nightmare. You have to wake yourself up!" I said, hoping the point would finally get across. I was suddenly thrown back out of the nightmare, Grover beside me. I brought Riptide up to see that Grover looked absolutely terrified.

He was staring at the ground and when I pointed the light from my sword at the ground, I saw that Pan was still there, burned, and most importantly, dead. That hadn't really been part of the nightmare, it had been real.

He stated fading in and out, before he finally faded out for good, disappearing completely. Grover stared at the spot where Pan had once been. "I have to spread the message."

"What message?"

"Before he died, Pan gave me his wisdom. I have to tell the other satyrs of his passing, that Pan is no longer with us," Grover said.

I nodded, knowing what else to really say.

"Wait, where is everyone else?" Grover asked, looking back at him. I shrugged. "We'd better find them - and soon."

I heard what he was applying in his voice. If Pan could've been really killed in the dream, there was no telling what could happen to Annabeth and Andee.

"Well, you've found one. Two more to go," the female voice said.

"You know, you're getting _really_ annoying," I commented and Grover looked at me before sniffing the air a bit.

"Three gods are here - minor gods, but gods nonetheless," Grover whispered.

"Very good, satyr! More than your friend could figure out," the female voice said for the two male voices to start laughing again. "Now, where is that daughter of Athena, hmm? Oh wait, she's not having such a fun time playing the game either. I have no idea why though - oh well, maybe you can find her before she ends up like that corpse you saw, Jackson."

"Corpse?" Grover asked and as much as I didn't want to, I had to think back to my nightmare. I had tried to block it out, but honestly, it had been playing over and over again in my head. But I remembered that Annabeth had been bitten by a black widow spider in it...oh gods.

"She's being attacked by spiders," I said before bolting off in whatever direction I felt might work. I had no idea if maybe Andee was with Annabeth, but I doubted it. It took all of my energy and willpower to break out of my own nightmare, so I doubted that they would be able to get out of theirs to find each other.

I tripped and went flying, falling flat on my face just as Grover shouted, "Annabeth!" Yeah, I'm fine, Grover. Just fine. A son of Poseidon flying through the air and crashing to the ground was perfectly normal. Not.

"Annabeth, are you okay?" I asked, crouched down beside her. I shook her shoulders a bit, but it didn't seem to do anything. She was curled in a ball in a corner, rocking back and forth with a blank look on her face. She looked a bit like she belonged in a mental institution...crap, stupid ADHD acting up again.

"Spiders," she mumbled, her eyes widening as she stared in front of her. I turned around and suddenly I was thrown into Annabeth's nightmare. Grover was there as well. Annabeth was in the same position she had been in reality, her eyes wide as she stared at the creepy crawlies. She didn't seem to see Grover and me, which I can understand. There were about a hundred spiders of varying sizes, all scuttling towards her. "Oh no, please no."

Now I'm not someone who is afraid of spiders - or any other kind of bug for that matter - but this was some pretty freaky stuff. Even someone who wasn't afraid of anything would get freaked out by the hundreds, maybe thousands, of spiders crawling towards Annabeth.

"Annabeth," Grover said, shaking her and trying to get her attention, but it was useless. She was too focused on the spiders approaching her, faster and faster the closer they got.

I held out Riptide and put on a brave face for her before starting to slash the spiders. It seemed like I was getting somewhere until Grover pointed out that every time I killed one, five more appeared. Damn it.

"Andee's in trouble!" I finally screamed and that seemed to snap Annabeth out of it, sending all of us tumbling back into the real world. Using Riptide's glow, I could see Annabeth shaking and shivering, scratching her skin as if the spiders were still crawling on her. I grabbed her face - a bit roughly - and made her look me in the eyes. "You're okay, Annabeth. Nothing can hurt you and the spiders are gone."

"They were everywhere..." she mumbled, looking everywhere as if she was afraid they'd come back at any second. I had never seen her this vulnerable before - she was always the one telling me to toughen up and keep it together.

"It was a nightmare, Annabeth. All of us were trapped in one - something weird is happening," Grover mentioned from the opposite side of Annabeth.

"Weird? Oh darn, and here I was thinking this was fun!" the female voice said. Annabeth gave Grover and I a questioning look before Grover mouthed 'minor gods'. "Three out of four...not too shabby, I must say. Just one more person to find...but she's going to be the hardest to find, the hardest to fix, and she'll take the longest to save, if you even manage that. And that can't be good considering you're all running out of time..."

"They have Andee?" Annabeth whispered. She closed her eyes and scrunched her face, trying hard to do something. From this end, it kind of looked like she needed to go to the washroom. "The connection's gone...I can't talk to her..." Annabeth was now officially freaking out. And it was making me panic to see her like this. As much as we fought and argued, she was my rock. She's the one who kept me steady and on track. Seeing her like this made me feel like giving up any hope of finding Andee and completing this quest.

"As a child of Athena, you should know that you can't cheat when you play a game! That's not fair!" the voice said cheerfully.

"Neither is making the players play in the dark," I muttered angrily.

"That's part of the game, silly! Geez, you'd think you half-bloods never played games - oh wait, they don't," the voice said. "And they definitely don't play games like this. Have fun finding your girlfriend! I'll warn you now though that she's not going to be too happy with you when you find her!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" I yelled, but of course the girl had stopped talking. Very nice. I was starting to figure out that gods and other people or creatures that didn't like us didn't find the need to be polite. Would be a nice change every once in awhile.

So we all started walking, trying to find our way through the maze and trying to find Andee. It would've been a lot more effective if there was some actual light. Or if Annabeth could at least talk to Andee. Or if Andee was just here.

None of us were talking. I wasn't sure if it was because we were trying to see if we could hear Andee or if it was because we were all too panicked to say anything. I'm guessing it was probably the second option.

"I'm hungry," Grover moaned, breaking the silence.

"If Andee was here, she'd probably have something for all of us to eat in her bags - the gods knew she has everything else in that bag," Annabeth commented, smiling a little at the thought before frowning. "If we thought that we had it bad, imagine what she's probably going through right now. This is her quest and she's the one who's supposed to show the way - they must be out to get her more than any of us."

I hadn't even thought of that - not that I had wanted to. Andee was tough and we all knew that - she could kick anyone's ass any day at any time. But even the strongest people had to break. And seeing as we had all broken down now and that she probably had it twice as bad as any of us...I didn't want to think about it again.

"Damn it, I just want to find her!" I exclaimed, punching one of the dead ends we came to. Oh, that didn't feel good. I looked at my hand to see that my knuckles were bleeding.

"We all want her back, Percy," Annabeth said gently, her hand on my shoulder. "None of us want to see her get hurt."

"It's not the same! I saw her...she was...she was..._dead_. You guys were too, but I couldn't stop thinking about all the things I wanted to say to her that I never got the chance to," I said, leaning against one of the walls and collapsing to the ground. "I don't want anything to happen before I get the chance to tell her I love her - not that I want anything to happen to her after I tell her, but it would just be so much easier to know that she knew how I felt."

"Whoa," Annabeth breathed, staring at me. "You _love_ her?"

"I've loved her since the moment I met her, Annabeth," I told her honestly and her eyebrows shot into her hair, as did Grover's. "I don't know or care if it's too soon to tell her that but I know that's how I feel about her."

"Then let's hope we find her so you can tell her that yourself," Annabeth said, offering me a hand up. She smiled at me once I stood up, which to me was a symbol that she was okay with all this. No matter what happened, it was good to know I had friends like Grover and Annabeth helping me along the way.

We kept walking through the pitch black maze. There were more dead ends than I could count. That was before we ran into someone. I whipped out my sword, pointing it at the person who was doing the same thing to me. I glanced down at the sword and saw that it was made of Stygian Iron. There was only one person I knew with a sword like that...

"Nico?" I asked, trying to see him through the darkness. I could just barely make out the outline of his face from the glow of my sword.

"Percy?" he asked, before apparently seeing that it really was me. He lowered his sword and I did the same thing. "You don't know how glad I am to see you three. I feel like I've been in this stupid maze for hours."

Annabeth and I glanced at each other. "You're not...mad at us?"

Nico shook his head, and I swear he looked a little embarrassed with himself. "I talked to my sister. She told me what really happened."

"We are still really sorry about what happened," Annabeth said immediately.

"Me too," Nico said solemnly.

"So how did you get here?" I asked, changing subject.

"That's what I'd really love to know," Nico said. "I was at some weird guy's ranch, trying to sort some things out, and when I went to shadow travel away, I ended up here, and that's about it. How did you guys end up here?"

I explained it all to him, starting at finding Andee and right to the end, deciding to leave out some of the things like Andee and I making out, Apollo coming to ream Andee out, and things like that.

"Well, let's go find her then," Nico said.


	21. Singing In The Maze

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, series, movies, or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! Having a good day, so I just thought I'd give you all an update! I might be adding another PJO story but I haven't decided if I'm going to make that a story or maybe write it as a novel. Who knows? So read, favorite, and review to let me know what you thought!

**Chapter Twenty-One**  
**Singing In The Maze**

I sat up and rubbed my head, looking around me to see that everything was dark. What had happened? We were at the Oracle at Delphi when I had gotten a weird feeling...oh right. We had fallen for a trap. Wonderful.

I stood up and looked around for anything or anyone, but I was completely alone. An uncomfortable feeling filled my stomach. "Great," I mumbled. "I just love the dark." I opened my bag and dug around until I found a flashlight. I really did have everything in my bag. It came in handy. I turned the flashlight on and looked around to see that I was in the middle of a maze.

"This day just gets better and better," I mumbled darkly before starting to try and find my way out. Hopefully I would find this key somewhere along the way. Hopefully was the key word here...get it? "Key word"? I crack myself up sometimes.

After walking for what felt like hours, I stopped. "This is stupid, why don't we turn some lights on?" I asked. "Maybe even decorate the place a bit. You know, some wallpaper here, some nice chairs over there - it could become a real visitor's attraction."

No one heard me, of course, because there was no one around. "Fine, just ignore my interior design plans - you know, I'm very artistic. I could make this place look like a million bucks! And then you could sell it and get a million bucks! I really am a genius." It was times like these where you had to be your own best friend to stay sane.

Although, I really didn't think I was all that sane to begin with.

"I wish, I wish I was a fish because a fish can squish and make other sounds..." I sang. Okay, so maybe I wasn't in the best songwriting mood, but I had to do something to keep myself from being creeped out. Dark places were bad enough but when it was deathly silent? Don't even get me started.

I whistled as I continued walking, adding a little skip into my step. No point getting depressed just because I was in such a stupid place. But I was starting to wonder where everyone else was...what if they were in trouble? Or hurt? Or...or _dead_?

Crap. Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap! "PERCY! ANNABETH! GROVER! WHERE ARE YOU?" I yelled. My voice just echoed against the walls. Unhelpful. "I hate this stupid maze. What a stupid, stupid maze."

Oh crap, what if it came to life like the one in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire? Ohmigod, what if this maze _ate_ me like it did Fleur Delacour? Oh dear, this was not good.

"I'm sorry, maze, please don't eat me," I said timidly, but it didn't do anything. Good. I had made amends before it had decided to end my life. Or chew me up and make my regeneration hell. Yup. I've never been chewed up before...I don't imagine it would feel very good.

I looked and saw something glittering in the light of my flashlight. "Hmm...now what is that?" I walked up to the glittering object and picked it up. It was a brass, old-fashioned key. "So...it's literally a key? That's pretty silly." I looked at it closer, trying to find some sort of hidden message. Maybe I was just supposed to shove it down Kronos' throat. That could be fun. "Now why were you so easy to find?" I asked it, but of course it didn't reply. It's an inanimate object, silly. If it could talk, maybe it would've screamed and we would've found it a long time ago. And it would tell me what to do with it. Now _that_ would be helpful.

I tucked it into the cup of my bra, knowing that no one would be able to get it from there. Well, not unless they were willing to lose their hands.

"Andee, is that you?" someone asked from behind me. Someone asked from behind me. I turned to see Percy standing there with his sword out, looking at me in amazement. He didn't look very good - he was bleeding in a lot of places and his clothes were really torn up.

"Percy!" I exclaimed, running over and hugging him. "I'm so glad I found you!"

"No, I'm so glad I found you," he said, pressing his lips against mine. I responded immediately, returning the kiss with just as much passion and tugging at his hair a bit.

"I have the key," I told him, smiling, still a little dizzy from the kiss.

"Really?" he asked and I nodded. "Then let's get out of here."

"Percy, what's the matter?" I asked, noticing immediately how distraught he looked.

"They're gone, Dee," he whispered, sinking to the ground and holding his hands in his hands. "I couldn't save them."

"What are you talking about?" I asked quietly, kneeling down beside him.

"Annabeth and Grover," he said. "They're...dead."

"No, they're not." I stood up. This couldn't be true. Not Annabeth. Not Grover. Not _my_ friends. "They're not dead."

"You don't have a connection, do you?" he asked and I tried to communicate with Annabeth, but I couldn't feel anything. It was kind of static-y, like a television that's lost its signal.

"Even if there's none right now, I would've felt it. I would've known," I insisted.

"Andee, we were ambushed - we all fought the best we could, but they killed Annabeth and Grover. I had to run just so I could stay alive," Percy said and tears started falling out of my eyes. "I'm sorry."

"No," I whimpered, falling to the ground. "Not Annie. Not Grover."

"I'm sorry," he said again,

"Well, we've got to go back and get the bodies," I said after a long period of silence, in which I tried to calm myself down.

"What?"

"I can't leave my best friend's body in some stupid maze; I have to go get it!" I stood up, preparing myself to see the body that had once been the one person in my life who had been like a true sister to me.

"You can't! The monsters could still be there!" Percy exclaimed, standing up too.

"Then I'll kill them - I'm not leaving our friends," I said, about to push past him to go back.

"But if you go," Percy started, "you'll see that they weren't attacked - well, not by monsters, anyways."

"Percy, what are you talking about?" I asked cautiously, starting to back away.

"I killed them."

"No you didn't - don't even say that," I said, feeling tears starting to build up in my eyes again.

"It's the truth - and I know how much you hate liars," he said, a wicked grin taking over his usually awkward features. I tried to find that feeling that told me he was lying, but no matter how hard I searched, it wasn't there.

"What have you done?" I whispered. "They're your best friends."

"Were," he corrected. "And not really. They never really mattered to me. Neither did you."

I didn't matter to him? After everything, had that stupid Prophecy been right? I didn't matter to him? I fell in love with him and he couldn't care less? He was just going to break my heart after all?

"So as you probably guessed, I'm going to kill you too," he said, smirking before he grabbed me and injected me with a needle of something. I immediately started convulsing.

* * *

**Percy's POV**

We found a door. We could see it from quite a length away because of the light leaking through the bottom. But when we got there, our path was blocked by three figures.

"Sorry, this isn't the exit, but you can't go in anyways," the female in the middle said. She was shorter than Andee but had long dark hair and bright blue eyes filled with mischief. She had a teenage guy standing just behind her that was the exact opposite height-wise when compared to the woman, and was dressed in jeans, a black shirt, and a leather jacket. I clearly remembered hearing two male voices.

"Oh? And just who do you think you are?" Annabeth asked.

"I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet, daughter of Athena," the woman grinned wickedly. "But I suppose I'll tell you anyways. I'm Até, the goddess of mischief, and this lovely young man is Phobos, the god of panic. His brother, Deimos, the god of fear, is in talking to your little girlfriend."

"Well, that's nice to know and all, but we're going through that door whether you like it or not," Nico said, raising his sword.

"Look," Até said, holding her ands up, "I'll give you an ultimatum here. If you turn around and find the actual way out of the maze, you can go free. But you have to leave behind the girl, that's all he really wanted anyways. Well, he wants you too, Son of Poseidon, but he already has a plan for that."

"I'm not leaving without her," I growled.

"Well then," Phobos said. "Get ready to see your worst nightmare...again."

"Yeah, I'd rather not," I said, holding my sword out to him, and making an attempt to swipe it at him. Annabeth and Grover also quickly armed themselves before we launched into a full-blown battle with the three minor gods.

Let me tell you this - I had a whole new respect for minor gods after that fight. There didn't seem to be anything minor about them. They were some of the most powerful gods I had ever met, but I had a feeling it was part of what they were gods of. Panic, fear, and mischief. It was hard to keep my mind straight to fight them, because they kept trying to get me to panic, or showing me my worst fears.

Finally, Annabeth, Nico and I finished them all off, both of them disappearing in a puff of yellow smoke. We entered the room to find it was as if we didn't even exist. Two telekhines were going about their business, preparing something - a weapon - while a dark, moody looking half-blood stood in one of the corners.

In the center of the room, a golden coffin sat on top of a dais, and I knew exactly what - or rather, _who_ - was in it. Kronos.

What bothered me the most, however was Andee chained to a wall, with some guy approaching her. He had messy black hair from the back, and he was holding a sword in one hand. He looked awfully familiar.

"Percy, please don't do this," Andee begged, tears streaming freely down her cheeks.

"You are pathetic," the person said, their voice exactly like mine, but much harsher. "You are a waste of space, and a waste of power. You are worthless and pathetic. You seem to think you are so valuable, but you're not. You're own father and grandfather wanted to destroy you when you were just a child. Your friends are dead. And your aunt and her fiancé could really care less about you now that they have a baby on the way. And me...well, you never really had me. I was just trying to recruit you for the cause. The gods have given you nothing but grief and sorrow. The Lord of the Titans could give you so much more...all you have to do is pledge your allegiance and the world could be yours. _I _could be yours. But since you're refusing, there's no real point in keeping you around anymore."

"Please don't do this to me - I love you," she cried and my heart fluttered a little to hear the words, even though they weren't directed at me - well, not the real me. They directed at the fake Percy who was threatening to kill her.

"Isn't it funny how that works?" he asked, twirling his sword around like it was some sort of toy. "One person falls deeply in love with someone who has no interest whatsoever in the other person. Unrequited love, they call it. I think you're experiencing that. And what's worse, you can't _not_ love me, right?"

She kept her gaze on her feet, showing that he had been right. What did he mean that she can't not love him/me? That didn't sound right...

"And to think that all this time, I've just been using you to help restore Kronos back to his proper form," he said, walking over to the golden coffin. He lifted off the lid to reveal Luke's body lying inside, with a bullet-sized hole in his heart.

I was shocked and just stared. I mean, I hated Luke for betraying me so badly, but even he didn't deserve that fate. I couldn't believe Kronos had taken over his body. It made me wonder why he wanted Andee so badly. "Recognize him, Andee? An ex-boyfriend of yours, right? You could be back together if you really wanted. I mean, I know that's what _he_ wants."

Andee had mentioned a Lucas. I had never thought it would be Luke Castellan. It just hadn't seemed plausible.

Andee had her eyes shut determinedly, keeping her head turned away from Luke. "Unfortunately, that plan hasn't really been working so I guess all that's left is to dispose of you."

"My brothers will know something's wrong when I don't come back from my quest," Andee snarled at him.

"Not when I tell him that while we were on the quest, you were ferociously attacked by a hellhound and there was nothing I could do to save you," he reasoned.

"They'll know you're lying."

"But the thing is, I won't be," he said and out of nowhere, a giant hellhound appeared, growling at Andee. Her eyes widened with fear as she tried to free herself from her restraints. "I can't kill you with a sword - we both know that. But my friend here can kill you with a single swipe of its paw." He started to walk away, leaving Andee alone with the hellhound. He stopped after a few steps and turned to look at her, smirking. "Oh, and if you change your mind, just let me know."

He disappeared and the hellhound advanced on her slowly, growling at her. I could see Andee muttering under her breath, probably praying to the gods to help her or something.

I was so angry right now. I would _never_ do that to her. I would never even _think_ of doing that to her. That idiot deserved to die! I didn't know who he thought he was, impersonating me, and doing that to Andee, but he wasn't about to get away with it - I'd make sure of that.

Andee looked up at the hellhound and you could tell by the look in her eyes that she fully expected to die.

"Andee!" Annabeth shouted, but Andee couldn't hear us. I've learned today that when you're in a situation with something you fear the most, you tend to go a little deaf. Annabeth, Nico and I leapt into action, fighting the hellhound to try and distract it long enough so that Grover could get Andee and escape.

I had never actually fought a hellhound before, but let's just say that it's not a fair match, even with Annabeth and Nico fighting with me. It's about ten times the size of a normal Rottweiler and about a hundred times as aggressive.

It took a long time but we finally managed to send it back to the Underworld, mostly because of Nico and his sword. But it was because of this that we didn't notice what was happening in the background.

The two telekhines were bowed down and holding Backbiter out to the sarcophagus and the dark half-blood, who I now noticed had an eye patch, was standing in front of it as well.

"Ethan, please don't. Please don't help him - you can stop him. Please," Andee begged.

He turned to the wall where she was still hanging, useless. "I'm a son of Nemesis, the goddess of revenge. This is what I was meant to do," the boy - Ethan - said before turning back to the dais. "I renounce the gods! They have done _nothing_ for me! I will see them destroyed. I will serve Kronos."

The room rumbled and Luke suddenly bolted upright in the coffin, his blue eyes now gold. He looked around the room as if he had just been born, taking in the sight before him and grinning evilly. "This body has been well prepared." His voice was cold and sharp - like a razor running over a chalkboard. "What do you think, Percy Jackson?"

I couldn't move. I couldn't do anything but stare at him in horror.

"Did you know that Luke feared you?" Kronos asked me. "His jealousy and hatred have become powerful tools in his obedience. I must thank you for that."

He grinned again and I could only stare at him. The telekhines trembled with the sword and Ethan fainted. He walked over to where Andee was trapped against the wall, and flicked his hand, sending Annabeth, Nico, and Grover across the room. "My princess," Kronos cooed at Andee. "It's only a matter of time."

"I would rather die than be anywhere near you," Andee spat at him, squeezing her eyes shut. I knew now that if she looked him in the eye, she was gone. The Andee I knew and loved would be gone for who knows how long, maybe forever.

I glanced at her necklace to see that even though she wasn't looking at him, her necklace was glowing bright green.

"There is no fighting it," Kronos said, touching her cheek. "You will be mine."

I finally got myself together and charged at him, but my sword bounced off his chest as if it were made of steel. Then he flicked his hand and I flew across the room.

I slammed into a pillar and had to struggle back up to my feet while the others tried to free Andee, who was refusing to open her eyes. I now knew that if she looked Kronos in the eyes, she was gone. I was just blinking the stars out of my eyes when Kronos picked up his scythe. His attention was all on me now, giving my friends an opportunity to free Andee.

"What have you done to Luke?"

"Luke serves me with his whole being, just as I require. The only difference is that he feared you, Percy Jackson. I do not."

I glanced behind him and the other had gotten Andee free so I did the only smart thing I could think of - run. But my feet felt like lead. You know how in dreams when you try to run and you just can't? It felt kind of like that. Then Kronos started laughing.

"Run, little hero, run!" he cackled.

I glanced back and saw him approaching with ease, swinging his scythe like it was the best feeling in the world to have it back in his hands again. No weapon in the world could stop him. No amount of celestial bronze or Olympian gold.

"No!" Nico yelled. He clapped his hands together and a jagged piece of rock the size of an eighteen-wheeler erupted from the ground right in front of Kronos. The tremor was so powerful that it made the whole front of the room start to crash down.

We all ran back into the maze and as far away from that door as possible. Andee, who looked completely destroyed, had to be supported by Annabeth the whole way. When we stopped to rest and regain ourselves, she immediately wrapped her arms around Annabeth tightly, starting to cry. "The connection was gone...I was so scared...he doesn't love me...he wants to kill me..." she muttered to Annabeth who was trying to calm her down enough to get her to lead the way back out of the maze.

"Don't worry, the connection is back - you can feel it as much as I can," Annabeth told her soothingly, rubbing her back. "Do you have the key?" Andee nodded. "Then we need you to find the way out. And quickly."

Andee nodded, taking hold of Annabeth's hand and stumbling down the dark corridor with her as she led the way out. Grover, Nico and I followed a few paces behind them. I didn't want to get too close to Andee right now...I couldn't imagine what she was feeling right now, especially towards me.

"So that's your girlfriend?" Nico asked, apparently trying to make conversation, but it wasn't really a good one.

"Yes."

"She doesn't seem to like you very much."

"She's not normally like this."

"Well, that's a relief," Nico said, but the look I gave him told him to shut up. We followed Andee for the rest of the trip in silence. And we found the exit quite quickly and as soon as we were out of the door, we found ourselves back at Skiathos Port.

"This really isn't a normal place to end up when we were just in Delphi," I commented, looking around.

"What really matters now is getting back to Camp," Annabeth said, right back to business as usual, taking Andee's phone and passing it to me to show the date and time.

Three days had passed in the time we were down in the maze. "How did that happen?"

"In places where magic is present, time goes faster," Annabeth said before groaning. "I probably should've realized that before."

Andee had left the group and was sitting on a nearby bench, staring at the ground. "So do you have the key?" Grover asked her.

She nodded, reaching into the top her shirt and taking the key out from the cup of her bra. Typical Andee. She held it out in her hands and it started to change forms, turning into a piece of parchment. Andee stared at it for a few moments before throwing it to the ground, tears welling up in her eyes again.

I picked the discarded document up and read what it said, finding it easy because it was in Ancient Greek.

_Right now you are probably wondering why the key you have been searching for turned into a piece of parchment. I have set this up as a trick. Very few people have reached this point, so if you are reading this, congratulations! Everything you thought was true is false. Really, there is no key to stopping Kronos. So the best thing to do now would be to pledge allegiance Kronos. The Titan Lord will prevail - it is inevitable. Your best attempt at surviving would be to join his ranks. - X _

"Who's X?" I asked.

Annabeth groaned. "Can't you see? It was all a trick - this whole quest to find the 'key'. There is no key, Percy! There is no way to defeat the Titan Lord!"

"There's a way, I know there is," Nico said quietly, taking the note and pocketing it. "No one is indestructible."

"Whatever," Andee muttered angrily. "I might as well give myself to him now. It would save everyone a lot of trouble."

"Don't say that," Annabeth and I said at the same time. Andee sighed and got up to walk along the dock before spotting three jet skis. "Let's go."

"We can't just steal them!" Grover yelled at Andee, a little too loudly because a few people looked over at us strangely before walking away.

"It's not stealing if they've been left for us by one of the gods," Andee said before jumping on one. "Annabeth, organize everyone else. I'm going to go ahead."

"How are jet skis supposed to get all the way across the Atlantic Ocean?" Nico asked.

"Magic," Annabeth said. "It's one of those lovely travelling devices - kind of like a centaur. Now get on."

I got on one and Annabeth got on the other. Nico went with Annabeth and Grover came with me and we sped across the ocean, going a lot faster than normal. It took only a few hours to get from Greece all the way back to New York, where we pulled up along Long Island Sound, right onto Fireworks Beach.


	22. It's Not Over

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, series, movies, or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! Sorry it's taken so long to update! I've been busy writing my original novels, doing some performing and modelling, and watching Criminal Minds :P Still haven't gotten on the Sea of Monsters set, but I'm still hoping! I know a few people who have been - one of my friends got to be one of Dionysus' guards. Pretty cool, huh? So make sure to favorite, alert and review to let me know you want more!

**Chapter Twenty-Two  
It's Not Over  
**

As soon as we all arrived at camp, we were ushered into the Big House, ordered not to say anything until we had spoken with Chiron. Once we were sitting inside, Chiron served us all sandwiches with Cokes and chips. A delicacy at camp, really. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until I started eating. I guess that's what happens when you're stuck inside a maze for three days.

"So," Chiron said once everyone had eaten. I glanced over at Andee who was just staring at her food, showing no interest in eating, "how did it go?"

"It was a trick," Andee said quietly, continuing to stare at her plate. "The 'key' was a literal key, until we got out of the maze, and then the Mist wore off. It turned into a letter, telling me how stupid I had been to think that there had ever been a way to destroy the Lord of the Titans who, by the way, has risen."

"Oh," Chiron said, his disappointment obvious in his voice. "Well, then we must start preparing for the war immediately. I will inform the rest of the camp of the news...you should all rest."

Andee was the first one to leave the room, practically sprinting to her cabin. I shot after her, knowing I had to catch her before she got there, otherwise I wouldn't get the chance to talk to her for a long time.

I somehow managed to catch up with her right in front of the fire in the center of the cabins, and latched onto her wrist. She stopped, but refused to look at me. "Andee," I said, "you have to talk to me."

"I can't," she said, her voice cracking a little.

"Andee," I said softly, moving closer so that I could hug her from behind. I wrapped my arms around her and she stiffened.

"Please don't," Andee said shakily, her hands moving over top of mine.

"That wasn't me," I told her. "You know that wasn't really me."

The shaking got harder as she moved my hands off of her. She held them in hers as she turned to face me. Tears were streaming down her face now. "I can't do this anymore, it's over."

"Andee -"

"I'm done. This - this whole thing was a mistake," Andee said before running off to her cabin and slamming the door behind her. I walked up behind her and knocked on the door. She didn't answer so I sat down in front of the door - she had to go to the bathroom at some time.

I think I probably fell asleep there, because the first thing I saw was Annabeth shaking me awake to get ready and come to breakfast. I didn't want to leave my post in front of Andee's cabin, but I knew it wasn't going to help things. So I forced myself to shower and re-dress before heading down to breakfast. She didn't show up.

And it was like that for days and days on end. No one saw Andee - it was if she had disappeared into the depths of her cabin. I was forced into doing all of my daily activities, especially because we all knew there was a war coming now. Everything was focused on preparing our numbers in case the camp was invaded, which was very likely. The Hephaestus cabin was busy at work forging as many weapons as they possibly could, and everyone was training twice as hard. No one really had a choice, as Chiron had made our training ten times as intense, taking away the fun of things. When I had a break, which was very rare now, I would go and try to get Andee to come out, which never really ended the way I wanted it to.

So when I went to go start some sword-fighting with the Apollo guys, I was a little surprised to see Andee there. She was doing hand-to-hand combat with her brothers, showing them up like it was as easy as walking or breathing. Lee stopped fighting Andee when he saw me, and glared. Andee hit him a few more times before realizing he had stopped and turned around.

Her face dropped when she saw me and she tried to push past her brothers to the other exit, but surprisingly, Lee stopped her, whispering something to her. She started shaking her head, obviously disagreeing. As I got closer, I was able to hear their conversation.

"...you have to talk to him at some point. Even if it's just to finalize things, you can't leaving him hanging like that."

"I told him it was over. It's not my fault it's not getting through to him."

"Then make it get through, that's the whole point of communication. You have to deal with this."

"Andee, can we talk?" I interrupted. Andee stared her brother down before finally walking past me, making a subtle gesture for me to follow. So I did, letting her lead the way out to the middle of the cabins. She stopped and faced me, crossing her arms over her chest, an automatic sign for me to back off. Well, I was always told I wasn't good at listening.

"Andee -"

"I'm not doing this again, okay? We're done. That's it. I don't know what kind of closure you need, but that's all you're going to get," Andee said. It was like she had gone back to the cold Andee from before.

"I don't need closure because we both know this isn't over," I told her, "it's barely even started."

"You're wrong."

"What did I do to make you like this?" I demanded. "Is this all because of what happened in the maze? You know that wasn't really me, right?"

"Of course I know that wasn't really you," Andee said. "But that doesn't make it hurt any less, or stop me from thinking that there might be some truth there. But that's just a tiny part of what's going on."

"Then tell me what's going on."

"I can't!" she yelled back, stomping her foot on the ground in frustration. "I can't! We just can't be together. It's over and done with, okay?"

"No, it's not okay! Why can't you tell me what's going on, Andee? We can work this out, I know we can," I told her, pausing for a moment before saying, "I can't live without you."

She stared at me in shock. "Please don't say that. Yes, you can live without me. You deserve a lot better."

"You are the only one for me - there's no one better for me than you."

"Stop it!" Andee yelled, hitting me. Her eyes were getting watery now. "Don't you get it? We shouldn't be together! It's _wrong_! I've been lying to you the whole time we've known each other! Did you know that? _I haven't told you the truth_."

"Then tell me now."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can," I said softly, touching her arm. "Please."

She gazed into my eyes as the tears fell from hers. She squeezed her hands in a fist at her side. "I let everyone think that my birth name is Andee, and most people believe me, but it's not my actual name."

"So you lied about your name, that's not a big deal," I told her.

"Yes, it is! Names are extremely powerful, Percy, and you know that," Andee said. "That's why I don't tell anyone my name - because it changes everything. It's the reason for everything." She was silent for a few moments as she cried. "My real name is Andromeda."

"So what's wrong with that? It's a nice name."

"No! It's a horrible name!" Andee exclaimed. "The Fates brought us together for a reason, Percy. They like to repeat history, and they've done it with us. Think about it, think of everything."

Our names were Perseus and Andromeda. Like the Ancient Greek story. I saved her from a "monster" and then fell in love with her, just like Perseus in the story did. I was the sea and she was the sky. There were so many little things that made a lot more sense than before.

"So we're like the originals - what's wrong with that? They lived happily ever after," I said.

"That's the mortal version of the story," Andee said. "Perseus was happy. Andromeda loved Perseus, and he broke her heart over and over again, but she still loved him. She couldn't not love him. It's the curse of the name - every demigod with the name Andromeda gets to have their own little Prophecy about how their heart will get broken, but they won't stop loving the man who does it. No matter how badly he hurts her."

"How many others has there been?" Andee looked at the ground, shuffling her feet a bit. "Andee, how many?"

"We're the first ones since the originals."

"I'm not going to break your heart," I told her, cupping her face in my hands. "I will _never_ break your heart."

"You already have."

"That wasn't me, Andee! I would never say or do those things to you!"

"It may not have been the real you, but for all I knew at the time, it was. That's all that matters. And I can still see you saying that you don't love me, that I never mattered," Andee said, still crying. "I should just become a Hunter like everyone wants me too. My dad and grandfather would be thrilled."

"Don't do that."

"Why not? I'm still considered 'innocent' enough to, and I get a special in because it's my aunt. Then I never have to worry about getting my heart broken again," Andee said.

"I won't let you do that, Andee," I said softly, "you know that's not what you want. And besides, I'd have to find you, make you fall for me all over again, and then Artemis might turn you into an animal, and I think it's safe to say that neither of us wants that."

She chuckled a little, leaning into me. I hugged her tightly, taking in every detail about her, because I honestly didn't know if this would be the last time I saw her or not. She pulled back a little to look up at me. "I'm in love with you, Percy Jackson. I am desperately in love with you and I want you more than I've ever wanted anything in my life. But I'm scared."

"You have nothing to be scared of," I said. "Absolutely nothing. I would never hurt you on purpose, and you have to know that because I love you too. More than anything."

She leaned her forehead against mine, our noses brushing together. "Why do you have to make this so hard for me?"

"Because I love you, and I'm not going to let you do something stupid," I told her, pressing my lips to hers. She kissed me back with just as much passion, and I couldn't seem to get close enough to her. I grabbed her by the hips to bring her closer, and she took it a step farther, jumping up and wrapping her legs around my torso. She gave me a little half-smile before crashing her lips back against mine.

I moved us towards my cabin so that the two of us could get some privacy, and more or less avoid getting in trouble from Chiron, and for me, avoid getting beaten up by Andee's brothers. I navigated us to my bed, and gently lowered Andee down before climbing on top of her.

Andee tugged my shirt off and discarded it somewhere off to the side before taking off her own as well. I moved down to kiss her jaw-line, then her neck, and then down her stomach. She laughed as I kissed her stomach, because apparently she was ticklish there. I undid her shorts and slid them off before getting rid of my own. It didn't take long for all the undergarments to be lost as well.

"Are you sure?" I asked her quietly, not wanting to do anything that she didn't want to do.

"Yeah," she said breathlessly, her cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkling.

Afterwards, we stayed in my bed, just holding each other as we attempted to calm ourselves down. "You definitely just made everything a lot more complicated."

I grinned lazily at her. "I'm good at that, aren't I?"

She smiled as well and playfully hit me. "I love you so much, Percy," she sighed, as she snuggled in closer.

"I love you too, Andee," I told her earnestly, pecking her on the forehead and stroking her hair as I watched her. Her eyes met mine and her smile grew.

"You are the absolute sweetest person I have ever met, Percy," Andee said softly, lightly tracing the features on my face. I shivered a little at the feeling. "I don't get why you don't just give up on me."

"If you could see yourself from my perspective, you'd understand why," I told her and she kissed me.

"You just love to prove me right, don't you?" she asked. "You know, this may be the only good thing to happen this summer." I grimaced, thinking of the Prophecy about me that would come true. The one that I knew nothing about except that when I was seventeen, I would make a choice between the Olympians and the Titans. It seemed obvious which one I would choose right now, but so many things could happen between now and my birthday. "We should probably get back to training before anyone notices that we're gone."

I sighed dramatically and Andee smiled, giving me a light kiss before gathering her clothes and getting re-dressed.


	23. Plan Of Attack

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, series, movies, or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! So I decided to update again! I know, it's shocking, isn't it? So soon after my last update (which wasn't that long ago, but still). So thank you for all the alerts and favorites and reviews, and keep them coming! I love hearing what you think!

**Chapter Twenty-Three  
Plan of Attack**

"There are so many ways we could attack but it means nothing unless we know where they are!" Annabeth argued, slamming a pencil down on the table.

"Good thing I found them, huh?" a voice said from the doorway. Everyone looked back to see that Clarisse was standing there, a smug look on her face. She had been gone for a week to find where Luke/Kronos were hiding. Our main plan was to stop Kronos before a war started to save as many lives as possible. So if Clarisse found Kronos and where he was hiding, we could attack him there, and stop the war before it ever happened.

"You succeeded in finding it then?" Chiron asked.

"Of course," Clarisse said, casually walking up to the table and sitting down in her usual seat. "They're on the Princess Andromeda." Andee squirmed at the mention of the name and I put a hand on her knee, trying to tell her to relax a little. It didn't help much because her fingers started tapping rhythmically on top of mine. "Their numbers have tripled from what we originally thought, and they're heading to New York."

"Then we must go with Plan Sigma," Chiron said. I agreed with Chiron on this, because Plan Sigma meant that we would sneak onto the enemy's territory and plan explosives, and once our side was out, we would detonate them, wiping the enemy out. "We'll only need two or three people for this mission, plus additional help to get all the explosives prepared. I'm personally choosing Charles Beckendorf to lead this mission, as he is the cabin leader of the Hephaestus cabin and there fore the most skilled with explosives. I will leave it to him to choose the one or two other campers to join him."

"I'll take Percy and Andee with me for back-up, and I'll train Andee how to put all the explosives in place just in case something goes wrong. If it gets too hot down there, or explosions start before we're ready, she'll be fine because she's fireproof," Beckendorf said.

Fireproof. That was an interesting way to describe my girlfriend.

"I'm going to start right away. Someone should keep an eye on the Princess Andromeda in the mean time, just so we don't lose track of it," Beckendorf instructed. "Andee, I'll teach you how to do the basics right now. Otherwise, it's just a matter of waiting until I have more than enough explosives ready for the mission."

Everyone agreed and Andee left with Beckendorf for a few hours to learn how to use everything, and quickly fix something if it went wrong. I had had a few lessons myself on this, and knew it was not something that one could really learn in a few hours, but she was going to try anyways.

When Andee came to dinner that night, she was mumbling to herself, making subtle hand movements as she did.

"A lot to remember?" I asked.

"_A lot_," she repeated, letting herself fall into my arms as we walked to the dining hall. "I don't know how the Hephaestus kids remember all that stuff."

"The same way you can remember any song or dance or poem someone shows you," I commented.

She glared at me. I hugged her tighter. "You know," I said quietly, "we could just skip dinner and go do some...other things."

"No thanks, all this memorization and learning has made me really hungry," Andee said, wriggling out of my arms and grinning impishly before sprinting towards the dining hall. I ran after her and grabbed her around the waist, swinging her around in the air, while she laughed hysterically.

This was the Andee I knew and loved. She was still a little withdrawn at times, getting lost in thoughts of what I guessed were about her Prophecy. But she had let me back in. She occasionally told me when she was thinking about it and how she felt about it all, which was a start.

I knew she still wasn't comfortable with the whole thing - who would be, knowing that they'd constantly have their heart broken? But she seemed happy enough right now. That's what mattered.

I gently put her back down on her feet before crashing my lips against hers. She instantly wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her tiny body against mine.

Someone coughed behind us and we broke apart to see Chiron standing a few feet away from us in full centaur form, not looking very impressed.

Andee just grinned and skipped over to the Apollo table, constantly looking back at me and smiling. Chiron gave me a look expecting an explanation but I just quickly made my way over to the Poseidon table.

After a long and boring dinner, we were finally released to finish our last minute training and head to bed, and Andee had that very focused look on her face as she fiddled with her phone.

"What's on your mind, gorgeous lady?" I asked, wrapping my arms around her from behind.

"Many, many things," she mumbled, her fingers flying across the tiny phone keyboard. "Oh, and don't tell Chiron I have a cell phone because he'll take it away if he finds out and I really need this."

"Oh yes, because I'm really going to rat you out," I said sarcastically, lightly kissing her neck.

"I would rat you out," Andee said in a sing-song voice.

"So back to my original question -"

"Chiron met with me a couple of days ago and seems to think I should go home for awhile and spend time with Val. She's very pregnant and could pop out a baby any time now and so I think while we wait for Beckendorf to finish with the explosives and final preparations to make sure that the birth goes okay, or at least see her before she gives birth," Andee said.

"That sounds like fun," I said.

"Wanna come with me?" Andee asked, suddenly turning to look at me.

"Seriously?"

"Well, Val and Johnny-boy want to move to New York because that's where Val was born, it's closer to camp for me, and I also have a standing offer at one of the best private fine arts schools in Manhattan. Plus, we need more room for the baby, so an extra pair of hands for moving couldn't hurt," Andee said.

"You want me to fly all the way to Vancouver and back to New York?" I asked.

"Yeah, I don't see a problem with it," Andee replied.

"Your grandfather has made it very clear that if he sees me in the sky, I'm toast," I said.

"Do you really think he's going to knock a plane from the sky when it has his precious granddaughter aboard?" Andee asked. "Of course not. As long as you're with me, you're safe."

"Isn't that what I'm supposed to say to you?" I asked.

She smiled. "I need to call my aunt to finalize all the arrangements," Andee said.

"Go right ahead. I'm just going to stay here and kiss you, and touch you..."

"Percy, if you lay one finger on me while I make this call I swear it will be the end of you," Andee threatened, pointing an angry finger at me. "I mean it. And you know I can kick your ass."

She dialed a number and held the phone to her ear before starting to talk in rapid Greek. I snuck up behind her and tickled her sides, making her scream. She turned and glared at me, continuing to talk, before hanging up the phone and tucking it into her back pocket.

"You're dead."

"I love you so much."

"Cute, but it's not going to work," Andee said, advancing towards me before she pounced and tackled me to the ground. She started hitting her fists against my chest, not very hard, but hard enough to make an impact. "You're so stupid sometimes. My aunt now thinks I'm having sex!"

"You are."

"Well...I don't want her to know that! I can't even tell her your name or she's going to kill me, let me come back to life, and then kill me again!"

"That's child abuse."

"Oh my gods," Andee said frustratedly, rolling her eyes and standing up. "I'm going to bed. Be packed and ready in the morning."

"Sure you don't want to join me?" I offered, adding a wink for good measure.

"Yes, I'm very sure," Andee said flatly, before disappearing into her own cabin.

The next morning, I was woken up to rapid knocking on my cabin's door. I slouched out of bed and opened it to see Andee standing there, looking impatient. "Are you ready?"

I grunted. It was much too early for any living creature to be awake and functioning.

"Percy! Our flight leaves soon and we have to get to the airport early to check-in and all of that!" Andee stormed past me and started throwing stuff into my duffel bag.

"Andee, it's too early," I moaned, flopping down onto my bed.

"No, we're now officially running late," Andee said. "Now get your lazy ass out of bed and get dressed!"

I moaned loudly, but she just walked out of the room and slammed the door behind her. Yup, that was my girlfriend for you.


	24. I Almost Die

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, series, characters, movies or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! Here is another quick update (imagine that!). I hope you like it, and don't forget to review and alert!

**Chapter Twenty-Four  
****I Almost Die**

The plane ride was terrifying. The entire time I was sure I was going to die, and Andee had to keep convincing me that I wasn't. She held my hand the entire time but honestly, it didn't help much. Actually, after awhile she started to get annoyed by how much I was freaking out so she started telling me to shut up and hit me every time I made a sound.

Always the supportive one.

About three hours into the almost six hour flight, Andee sighed and turned to me. "What can I do to help you calm down?"

I grinned a little. "Well, there are a lot of things you can do, but I'm not so sure they'll help me calm down."

She gave me a stern look before glancing around and lightly pressing her lips to mine. She pulled back just far enough that our noses were touching, and looked at me with her jade green eyes. "Better?"

"A little," I said, cupping her face in my hands and stroking her cheek. "I think it will take a lot more than one little kiss to distract me though." She rolled her eyes. "You know you love me."

"Unfortunately."

"There's nothing unfortunate about it! You love me with all your heart and would be crushed if I were to get killed by your grandfather for being in his domain," I argued.

She sighed again. "Yes, I suppose I _would_ be upset."

I brought her closer so that her lips were on mine again. "I love you so much, Andee le Fat."

She smiled a little. "I love you too."

So for the rest of the flight, Andee provided me with a distraction - just not the distraction I had been hoping for. She started teaching me different words in Ancient Greek, with the occasional breaks for kissing. When she could clearly see I was bored with learning Ancient Greek (we already did that at camp), she moved on to random questions to get to know each other even better than we already did.

"Okay, so if you had to choose one superpower - just one - what would you choose?" she asked, cuddling into me as much as she could over the arm rest.

"One superpower...well, when you look at it, we kind of already have superpowers," I mentioned.

"Something you don't have now and probably never will," she clarified.

"Probably invisibility so I could sneak up on people," I answered. "What about you?"

"Hmm..."Andee said, taking a few moments to think about it. "I think I'd want to be able to stop time, so that when there's that one perfect moment, you could just cherish it for as long as you wanted. Or have extra time to finish an assignment or something."

I gave her a look. "It's summer vacation and you're thinking about school and assignments."

"What's wrong with that? I'm a great student and I want to get into an even better school after I graduate," Andee said defensively.

"Oh? What school?"

"Julliard," Andee said immediately, her cheeks turning a little red. "I know it's really hard to get into, but I figure with my excellent marks and the skills I've inherited from my dad, I have a pretty good chance."

"I think if anyone can get into Julliard, it's you," I told her and she grinned. I loved that smile so much.

"What about you?"

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "I haven't really had time to think about those kinds of things, what with my life being in danger and all."

"You really should start thinking about it," Andee said. "It'll give you something to look forward to, and that's always a plus."

The plane finally landed and I couldn't get off soon enough. The fact that we were finally back on land was a thrilling concept for me, and I knew that the day I had to get on another airplane would be too soon for my liking.

We got in a taxi and when we finally arrived at our destination, we were in front of a low, one story bungalow. I really didn't expect Andee to live somewhere so laidback. Andee climbed out of the taxi, running around to pay the driver before walking up the driveway. I quickly got out of the taxi with my backpack and followed her down the driveway to the front door.

"VAL! I'M HOME BUT I CAN'T FIND MY KEY! OPEN THE DOOR!" Andee yelled, pounding her fists on the door.

"STOP YELLING!" someone yelled behind the door. It swung open to reveal a very pregnant woman with long, curly black hair and grey eyes behind a pair of glasses.

"Hi Val," Andee said in a goofy voice, making an equally goofy face as she hugged her, but Val was looking straight past Andee and at me. Her face was unreadable, but I was sure I could guess a few of the things running through her mind.

"Hi, I'm Percy - Andee's boyfriend," I said, extending my hand for her to shake.

She barely glanced at it.

"Andee, we need to talk. Now."

"Val, I told you I was bringing my new boyfriend home with me," Andee said in a voice that told me that was about all she had told her.

"If I had known it was the son of Poseidon, I wouldn't have let you invite him along."

That was blunt.

"He's like, one of Annabeth's best friends, so if she can get over it, so can you. And I know you especially don't like him because of the Prophecy but I've told him everything and he's one of the sweetest guys I have ever met so you will just have to deal with it," Andee said, pushing past her aunt into the house and bringing me with her.

"Sorry about that," Andee said, taking both of my hands in hers once we were down the hall and father away from her guardian. "She's not usually like that...she's just really pregnant and really protective of me."

"I get it," I told her, kissing her lightly on the nose. "I feel the same about you. The protective, not the pregnant."

She smiled a little more. "You'll get to meet Johnny later, and I can assure you that he's much more relaxed and amicable than Val."

"Hopefully meeting him will go over a lot better."

"It will, I promise."

We spent the rest of the day hanging out in her room and helping her pack some of the things she owned in boxes. I met Johnny, Val's fiancé, at dinner and like Andee had said, he was a lot more calm about our situation. Then again, he was a mortal so I wasn't sure he fully understood the importance of it.

Andee led the way back to her room, and plopped down onto the bed, bringing me with her. "I'm sorry for making you come here when I should've known everything would've been so awkward."

"That's okay," I said, turning my head to look at her. "It would've happened no matter how much warning anyone had been given."

"Val will come to like you eventually. She's just...icy, I guess," Andee said. "She didn't like Johnny at first either, and they've having a kid and getting married. So it's just a matter of time."

"We can hope."

Andee chuckled a little. "In the mean time, I have a lot of Canadian things to show you!"

"Canadian things?"

"Well...Andee things - I don't actually know of any genuine Canadian things to do," Andee corrected and I smiled. "But I was thinking like, go see a movie, go out for dinner, go to the pier, and frolic the streets of downtown Vancouver."

"So pretty much go and do regular date type things."

"No! Well...kind of," Andee said. "We do not have much time before we're in a full-scale war against the Titans." She stared up at the ceiling. "We can't be certain that we will have time for these little things afterwards."

I looked over at her. "What do you mean?"

She turned so she was looking at me again. She took my hands in hers and stared at them. "If the Titans win...if _he_ wins...our world will change completely. What we have now, this freedom, this light, we won't have it ever again until he is gone for good."

"You mean -"

"The Lord of the Titans will destroy everything we have ever known," Andee said seriously. "That's why we have to make this time count."

"Agreed."


	25. Canadian Things

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, series, characters, movies, or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **I don't think I've gotten so many reviews to update in such a short time period before. But it worked! Here is the enxt chapter and I hope you enjoy it!

**Chapter Twenty-Five**  
**Canadian Things  
**

An alarm started blaring somewhere beside me. I groaned and pulled the blanket up further over my head. Andee's arm moved to wrap around my torso, her breathing still slow and calm. I thought she was still asleep until she mumbled, "Turn it off."

I reached my arm out to try to find it, feeling different surfaces for it, but failed. "Can't find it."

She moved her arm off of me and started to shift. Before I knew what was going on, she had moved to sit on top of me. I heard her hitting her beside table before the annoying buzzing stopped. "Mmm, finally," Andee murmured, letting herself slide down so that she was lying on top of me. "Time to go back to sleep."

"With you in this position, that's going to be a little hard for me," I mentioned and she laughed, the sound vibrating against my body. It was nice to be able to do this without sneaking around like we had been doing the past while at camp. I gently lifted her face and brought it close to mine before kissing her. "Good morning, love."

"Good morning," Andee said, kissing me again. I flipped her over so that I was pretty much lying on top of her, and she moved her hands around my neck in an attempt to bring me closer. Her lips moved against mine and I let my hands wander under her shirt to massage her increasingly warm skin.

"Andee, time to wake up," Val said, knocking on the door. Andee and I broke apart almost immediately to see Val standing in the doorway, looking a little less than impressed. Actually, she reminded me of Chiron whenever he caught Andee and I kissing.

"We were just kissing," Andee insisted.

"I believe you," Val called as she walked away.

Andee looked back up at me and grinned. "Guess we've been caught," Andee said, giggling a little. "Time to get up."

I groaned, which made her smile even more. She wiggled out from underneath me and got off the bed, revealing that she was still only in her loose pajama shirt and a pair of underwear. I watched her as she found her discarded bag on the floor and dug inside it before pulling out a pair of black spandex shorts and one of her Camp Half-Blood tank tops.

"Andee, what are you doing?" I groaned as she started gathering her hair into a messy ponytail.

"I'm going for my morning run," Andee said simply, picking up a pair of running shoes from the floor and putting them on. "You could come with me."

"You know, running really isn't my thing," I said.

"I know, I've seen you during the foot races," Andee teased. "Come with me and maybe there will be a special reward at the end of it."

"Now that is a good reason to run," I said, immediately bounding out of bed and getting into some work-out clothes. Andee led the way on the run, but about halfway through, I could feel my body giving up.

"Percy, you can do better than that!" Andee said in a sing-song voice upon hearing my labored breathing. She stopped and turned to me, letting on finger trail along my chest. "Especially if you want that end reward."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a tease?"

She cocked her head as if she was thinking and smiled. "Nope." She gave me a little peck on the lips. "Now, let's change this up. You're not going to get any kind of reward unless you can catch me."

"That's not fair."

"I'll make it more fair by taking it easy, but you have to step up your demigod abilities."

"I swear you're making those up."

"I am not!" Andee protested. "Chiron doesn't tell you all about it because he wants you to figure it out for yourself. Val just didn't see the point in keeping anything back because to be able to have complete control over myself, I had to know what I was controlling." She paused for a moment as a couple walked by. She stayed quiet, following them with her eyes until they had gone far enough away that they wouldn't hear what we were discussing. "It's like summoning a power given to you by your parent - in your case, it would be the ability to control water. Think of it like that, and just use a burst of energy or whatever it takes, okay?"

"Okay..."

"Don't be so doubtful," Andee said. "Now let's go!"

She took off about ten times faster than she had been going before and I shot after her, trying to summon this special power she always went on about. As I saw her getting farther and farther ahead, something in my clicked and I was chasing after her a lot faster than I had been going too.

It didn't take long before I was right on her heels and with one final burst of energy, I wrapped my arms around her, trapping her. She started laughing hysterically as she stopped, letting me envelope her in my arms. I lightly kissed her neck as I hugged her.

"See? You can do it, you just have to activate that part of your brain," Andee said, her hands holding mine around her waist.

"I have to admit, it felt pretty cool," I said. She turned around and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"And there are so many things you haven't even touched yet," Andee said, a little sparkle in her eyes. "We are part god, but so many demigods don't realize the kind of potential that gives you, and they're going to need to if we're going to win this war."

"No more talk of the war. This is our break, remember?" I asked and she nodded. "Let's go back to your place and figure out what we're going to do today, okay?"

She agreed and we jogged back to her place and started getting ready for the day. Andee and I showered (separately, we aren't _that_ clingy), and when I came out from mine, Andee was lying on her bed with her laptop open, typing away.

"What is my beautiful girlfriend up to?" I asked, jumping onto the space beside her.

She grinned at me. "Well, one of my friends has just informed me that she has planned a farewell bonfire for me tomorrow night. Are you up for meeting my friends?"

"Of course," I answered, which made her smile more. "Now, if I'm not mistaken, I was promised a reward for catching you."

"I lied."

"You lied?" I asked.

She grinned at me. "Yup. See, whereas other people lying causes me physical pain, it's fine for me to lie. And I'm actually very good at it, hence why I'm an actress."

"Hence."

Her grin continued to grow. "Anyways, while you were in the shower, I figured out the perfect Canadian thing to do today."

"Oh? And that is...?"

"Playland!" Andee exclaimed. "It's an amusement park that is stationed in the heart of Vancouver. I mean, _hello_, what could be more Canadian?"

"A lumberjack convention?" I suggested and she glared at me.

"What do you think of _my _idea?" Andee asked.

"Sounds like fun," I said.

She smiled. "Then let's go!" She bounded off the bed and out of her house, quickly letting Val know what she was doing before running into the garage. I followed behind her the whole time before seeing her gold convertible VW Beetle. I should have guessed.

So off we went for the hour drive to Playland. Once we got there, I discovered how fun it really was. They had this rollercoaster completely made out of wood, and it had been there since 1958. They even had a rollercoaster that had these logs going through water with two major drops, soaking Andee and I completely.

We had such a fun time going from ride to ride, game to game, and even going into the haunted house. Andee squeezed my hand tightly as we walked through the haunted house and jumped at every loud or sudden noise. Not going to lie, but I had my free hand wrapped around Riptide, almost attacking a few of the actors a few times.

By the time we got back to her house, it was already getting dark. So we both took over the living room, lying on the couch to watch a movie. We ended falling asleep like that. I only woke up because of the scream of terror in my ear. Actually, I think I may have had a minor heart attack, it freaked me out so much.

"Andee, it's just a dream. Wake up," I said softly, shaking her a little to try and get her to wake up. It didn't work. She kept on screaming and flailing her limbs as more and more cuts and bruises appeared on her skin. "Andee, please," I practically begged. It killed me to see her like this.

"She won't wake up," a calm voice said from behind me. "She had to fight it on her own and win."

"I saved her from it once before," I snapped at Val.

She smirked a little, but otherwise ignored my comment. "You know, it's not that I don't like you per se, it's that I'm trying to protect Andee. As far as I'm concerned, she's my daughter and I'll do whatever it takes to protect her."

"So will I," I said. "And I'll protect her with my last breath."

"But will you be able to protect her from yourself?" I stayed quiet because I knew I couldn't. If I could, I would've stayed away from her to begin with, just like she had wanted. "I promised her mother that I would keep her safe and I intend to keep that promise. So keep in mind that if you break her heart, I will break _you_."

I nodded, and once Andee had calmed down, she walked out of the room to go back to sleep. I got back onto the couch with Andee, but had trouble sleeping because all that I could think about was what Valkyrie had said.

_"But will you be able to protect her from yourself?" _


	26. Our Fun Comes To An End

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, series, movies, or anything else you may reocgnize.

**Author's Note: **Hey all! I'm so happy that so many of the guest readers have been leaving such positive and motivating reviews! Thank you so much and keep it up! It really inspires me to write and makes me feel all good inside.

**Chapter Twenty-Six  
Our Fun Comes To An End**

Andee slept in that morning and in doing so, forced me to sleep in as well. I didn't mind, especially knowing how rough Andee's night had been last night.

Well, that and the fact that she never usually let me sleep in.

Once she did wake up, the only things on her mind were packing and the party later tonight. We bother showered and dressed, Andee putting on a loose white tee and denim shorts over her metallic gold bikini that I had a lot of appreciation for.

As we were packing her things, I got an idea.

"How about when we finish packing your stuff, I take you out to dinner before the party?"

"Like a date?" Andee asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Well, you are my girlfriend," I said. "You'd have to choose the place, of course, because I really don't know what restaurants are in Vancouver, but I'm paying for everything."

She groaned. "You do not have to pay for me."

I brought her closer to me so that our faces were only an inch apart. "I know I don't have to, but I want to."

She stuck her tongue out at me before turning away and continuing with her packing. I was going to take that as a yes.

So at about four, Andee let Val know that we were leaving and wouldn't be back until late before leading the way out to her car. Andee slid into the driver's seat and while I had to put on sunglasses, Andee didn't even squint with the sun in her eyes. She turned on the radio before peeling out of the driveway. She started singing along to whatever song was on the radio, getting all the notes and words perfect. Sirens started to blare behind us and Andee said some pretty nasty words in Ancient Greek before pulling over to the side of the road.

"Don't say a word," Andee warned through her teeth as the police officer got out of his car and started towards us. He was a lot taller than most people and had a brutal-looking face. His uniform was straining against his body like it was about to rip apart like the Incredible Hulk's. I wonder if that's what Canadian police officers look like...

When he reached the driver's side, Andee gave the police officer a dazzling smile. "What seems to be the problem, officer?"

I had to choke back a laugh when she said that. She sounded like someone out of a cheesy movie.

He had a hungry look in his eyes when he said, "License and registration."

She snapped her fingers and his eyes became unfocused. "I have already shown you my license and registration and we've worked all of our issues out. You'll let us go, you'll go back to your car and drive to the nearest Tim Horton's and enjoy a nice donut."

He looked at her, obviously unimpressed, but he still had that familiar carnivorous look in his eyes. "Obviously you were too busy trying to summon the Mist to realize what the Mist was already hiding."

"Are you kidding me?" Andee practically yelled. And then I saw what we should have noticed a lot sooner as the Laistrygonian practically burst out of the police uniform (just like the Hulk - called it!) and grinned sickeningly down at us.

Andee threw a bolt of electricity at him before speeding off, not caring to abide by any of the current laws anymore.

"I take it you know each other?"

"That's Tibia Chomper," Andee said. "I just call him Tibs. He is a stupid Laistrygonian - and if you call him a Canadian I will literally _kill_ you - that always finds a way to piss me off."

"Like pointing out the fact that you don't have your license?"

"Yes," she said indignantly. "Which is stupid, really, because I've been driving since I was ten. Not like that matters to the government."

"I guess if they let one ten-year-old drive, they'd have to let all ten-year-olds drive."

"I didn't drive for the luxury of it," Andee snapped. "I only learned how because I would need it in emergencies. Hotwire a car and I've got an awesome, high-speed escape route. What could be better?"

"Being honest?"

She gave me a look. "If I get pulled over for speeding or something like that, I just use the Mist. Unless it's freakin' Tibs who keeps finding a way to alter his appearance with the Mist."

"I still can't believe you have your own Canadian," I said and Andee punched me in the arm.

"Laistrygonian," Andee corrected. "The quicker you learn that, the fewer bruises you will have."

"Noted."

We finally were able to get to the restaurant - some place called White Spot - and went inside. I had never heard of White Spot, but according to Andee, it was only in British Columbia and Alberta, and it was also one of her favorite restaurants.

We had dinner (which was really good!) and headed over to the beach where we were meeting Andee's friends. It had a huge pier, a lot of shops on the boardwalk, and hardly any parking. Andee managed to nab a spot after only a few minutes.

"We're meeting them in one of the ice cream shops," Andee said, taking her phone out. "It's the one closest to the pier."

So we went inside and a huge group was already waiting, loudly conversing at a few of the tables. Andee took my hand in hers and led the way over. As soon as her friends saw her, they practically attacked her, hugging her and asking her a million questions. It was a lot like her reunion with Annabeth.

"Guys, this is my boyfriend, Percy," Andee introduced and they all greeted me. Andee introduced me to everyone, but I knew I wasn't going to remember all of their names.

So we got ice cream and all sat and chatted for awhile. Andee sat on my lap and one of her friends took pictures nonstop. When the sun started to set, one of Andee's friends insisted that it was time to go down to the beach for the bonfire.

So we all paraded down there and a few of the guys built the bonfire before Andee pretended to light it with a lighter. One of the guys started blasting music and the girls immediately started dancing.

I loved to watch Andee dance. She always looked like she was having so much fun, and there was an extra sparkle in her eye. She was really good - for someone who was dancing for fun, she sure threw in what looked like a lot of professional moves.

She eventually made her way over to me, sitting down on my lap and pressing her lips against mine. When she pulled back she was grinning hugely. "I love you so much, Percy Jackson."

"I love you too, Andee," I told her, bringing her back into a kiss.

"Aww, you guys are so cute!" one of her friends said. Andee grinned as she hugged me tightly and looked at her friends. One had dark curly hair and kept herself pretty covered. The other one had cropped blonde hair and big blue eyes.

"Percy, you saw Delia and Mel when we were performing for your school. Delia was the stage manager and Mel was the Queen of Hearts," Andee said. "They are also like us."

"Demigods?" I asked.

Her friends nodded.

"My birth mother is Hestia," Delia said.

"And my mom is Thaleia - one of the nine Mousai," Mel said. "She's the muse of comedy, and my full name is Melpomene, after one of her sisters."

"Why haven't I ever seen you guys at camp?" I asked.

"Where would we go, exactly?" Mel asked. "It's not like there are cabins for us, and we can't just stay in the Hermes cabin - we've both been claimed."

"Oh."

That didn't seem fair. Everyone should be able to train at Camp Half-Blood. It was their birthright. They shouldn't have to stay in a cabin that isn't celebrating their godly parent or just not go at all. That really bothered me.

"You guys know you're always welcome in the Zeus or Apollo cabin, right?" Andee asked.

"Of course we know that, but it's still not the same," Delia said. "You know. That's part of the reason you didn't go for so long."

"I know," Andee said softly. "But you really should come visit at least and show these Americans what Canadians can really do."

They laughed, but I still felt really strange about the whole thing, even more so after finding out that it was part of the reason Andee didn't go to camp for so long. Everyone should be claimed by their parent and be able to train at camp under their own cabin. It was part of why Nico didn't feel like he belonged at camp.

The rest of the going away party was really fun. I talked with her friends some more and they shared some stories about her. Andee took out her guitar and starting singing for everyone. It was pretty late before everyone decided to go home.

We got back in and fell asleep right away. Tomorrow we would be headed back to New York to start moving Andee, Val and John into their new home. The moving truck had picked up all of Andee's, Val's and John's belongings while we were at her farewell party and had already brought them to the airport where they were going to be shipped to the house. We got on the plane to return to New York early the next morning and were there by early afternoon.

The boxes were already sitting in each room so it was just a matter of decorating and unpacking everything. Many paint fights ensued between Andee and I, only to be stopped when Val caught us. All of the furniture needed to make the house functional was put in, which gave Andee and I more time to just hang out. But we both knew what was coming and the tension was getting thicker.

"I need to give you something," Andee blurted out as we walked along the private stretch of beach on the South Shore that Paul used to take me to teach me how to drive.

"Okay," I said slowly. She wasn't holding anything so I didn't know how she was going to give me something.

"We both know what's coming -"

"It's not for sure."

"I've seen it, my brothers have seen it...it's going to happen, Percy, and I want to be prepared," Andee said calmly, holding my hands tightly. "When you get back to camp, there will be an envelope waiting for you. It has my name on it and if you find me or see me again after the takes over me, I want you to give it back to me."

"What's in it?" I asked.

"Stuff," Andee said vaguely. "You can't open it though - I have to be the only person to open it so I know it's real. I'm just hoping that it might bring me back and this was the only way I could think of."

A large shadow passed over Andee and when I looked up, I saw a huge black form swooping down to the ground.

_Hey boss!_ a voice in my head said. I was just about to ask what Blackjack was doing here when I saw Beckendorf on his back. It was time.


	27. It's A Trap

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, series, characters, movies or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **So many lovely reviews! Keep them coming, my lovelies! You are the reason I write this :) Here is another chapter for your reading please, and I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**  
**It's A Trap**

Andee dug around in her bag, taking out her dagger and her bow and arrows. She also took out a label which I saw had Camp's address and she slicked it onto her bag. She dropped a few drachmas onto it and it disappeared, being sent to camp.

"That's my signal for Annabeth to call Val and let her know what's going on," Andee explained. "I don't need everything in my bag, anyways. It's just extra weight."

I helped her up onto the back of Blackjack before hopping up myself, wrapping my arms around her midsection. Blackjack circled higher and higher, the beach below us becoming just a speck as we flew into the sky. By the time we spotted the Princess Andromeda, it was already getting dark. The Princess Andromeda was a huge cruise ship lit up with yellow and white. The only thing that separated it from a normal, mortal cruise ship was the figurehead - a dark-haired girl in a Greek chiton, wrapped in chains and looking horrified at whatever was about to attack her. That was the original Andromeda.

"Weird how he ended up getting a boat named after my namesake," Andee said, a shiver running down her spine as she held my hands a little tighter. I didn't like this ship much either - I had almost died on it twice already, and now it was heading towards my home.

"You both know what to do?" Beckendorf shouted over the wind, looking back at us. We both nodded. There wasn't a lot of time to do what we had to do, and in the best case scenario, we got in, planted the bombs, jumped off the boat, and got a quarter mile away before detonating. That was if everything went according to plan, and whenever I was involved in a plan, nothing went smoothly.

"Blackjack, set us down on the lowest stern desk," I told the black pegasus.

_Gotcha, boss_, Blackjack said as he started descending. _Man I hate seeing that boat_.

Luke and his cronies had enslaved Blackjack and several other pegasi on the Princess Andromeda, but Annabeth and I had freed them a few years ago.

"Don't wait for us," I also told the pegasus.

_But boss_ -

"Trust me," I said. "We'll get ourselves out."

Blackjack folded his wings and plummeted toward the boat. The wind whistled in my ears as we flew down and I saw the boat was full of dracaenae, hellhounds, giants, and telekhines patrolling the upper decks of the boat. No one raised the alarm, so I took that as a sign that they hadn't seen us.

I climbed off, feeling slightly queasy before I helped Andee off. I knew she didn't need the help, but I wanted to be a gentleman.

Blackjack bid us farewell and wished us good luck before zooming away. As I reached into my pocket for Riptide, I noticed Beckendorf take out a piece of paper. When it was unfolded, I saw that it was a picture of Silena. They must've said their goodbyes earlier, but I could understand wanting to see her face before going into this.

I looked at Andee and the look on her face told me that her mind was going a mile per minute. "Hey," I said softly and she looked up, attempting to smile but failing. "You okay?"

"This boat is just giving me the creeps," Andee said quietly. I knew she was lying. There was something else bothering her, but I didn't know what it was. Chances were that if I pressed her, she still wouldn't tell me.

She wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug and I hugged her back, the warmth of her body spreading through me. I took in everything about her, savoring every little quirky detail, just in case. "Please be careful," Andee whispered, her voice cracking a little. She pulled back a little so that she could press her lips to mine in a soft kiss.

"You're going to make it back to camp," I said seriously, looking in her eyes. "We're all going to make it back to camp."

She nodded and Beckendorf said, "Let's go blow Kronos all the way back to last Tuesday."

Beckendorf led the way down a narrow corridor that had a service stairwell at the end of it. I heard voices above us and immediately recognized them as telekhines. One of them was telling his buddies that he smelled half-blood, which made all three of us freeze. Its companions told him that was ridiculous and that every other time he had smelled half-blood, it had been all sorts of snacks. As they continued to argue, Andee put a finger to her lips, signaling for us to be as quiet as possible before pointing to the stairs and then pointing down.

We nodded to confirm we understood before heading down the stairs. I was careful to walk o n the balls of my feet to make sure my sneakers didn't squeak as I walked. Once we had gone down two flights of stairs, the arguing voices faded. We were all relieved by that.

We came to a metal hatch and Beckendorf turned around and mouthed "engine room" and pointed to the lock. That was one of the things Andee was perfectly suited for. She walked over and wrapped her free hand around the lock and it melted into a pool of silver on the ground. She slowly opened the door, not making a sound.

As the door opened, I saw rows upon rows of yellow turbines the size of grain silos churning and humming, pressure gauges and computer terminals lining the opposite wall. A telekhine was hunched over one of the consoles but was so involved in whatever he was doing that he didn't seem to notice our presence.

Andee padded in behind it and when she was a couple feet away, the creature tensed. It suddenly leapt towards the alarm, but Andee was a lot faster. She grabbed it by the collar of its shirt and threw it to the ground, slicing its neck with her dagger. It exploded into a pile of golden dust.

"That was violent," I mentioned and Andee rolled her eyes at me before we all started unloading the jars of Greek fire from Beckendorf's bag. When Andee was sure neither of us was going to spontaneously combust, she moved over to the doorway to stand guard and keep an eye on the time. Beckendorf and I ducktaped the jars to the consoles and the turbines. The room became extremely hot extremely fast and the only one who wasn't drenched in sweat or at all affected by the heart was Andee. She looked just as good and put together as she had when we had first gotten on the boat.

Everyone froze when we heard feet pounding on metal steps above us, meaning that some of Kronos' lackeys were coming down to the engines. We looked at each other in panic and I was the one to ask the question on all of our minds. "How long?"

"Too long," Beckendorf said. "I still have to wire the receiver and prime the charges. I need ten more minutes, at the very least."

"Well we've only got a few seconds as it is," Andee said. "Quick change - Beckendorf, you continue working on the charges and finish as soon as possible. Percy and I will lead them as far away from here as possible. Meet us at the rendezvous point as soon as you're done."

"But -"

"Just wish us luck," I said, trying my best not to sound too grim. Our plan had been to get in and out without being spotted, and now we had to improvise. I did not like improvising. Maybe I should do musical theatre or acting like Andee so I can get better at it...

"Good luck," Beckendorf said, and he sounded just as grave as I had. That was always comforting.

"Let's go," Andee said, quickly closing the door behind us as we ran away from the engine room. We sprinted up the stairs, running into a group of about a dozen telekhines. We immediately started slicing through them, making an unspoken agreement to leave one. That way he could raise the alarm and follow us, rather than go to the engine room.

We reached deck six and kept running until we got to the promenade deck which was like a giant shopping mall taking up the entire middle of the ship. We balked slightly when she saw that in the middle of the courtyard there was a giant crab with pincers longer than my body standing the fountain. Its black beady eyes were glaring at me like it knew exactly what I was.

"I'll distract it, you kill it. Preferably before it kills me and I have to regenerate, please," Andee said. Before I could stop her, she ran ahead singing 'Under the Sea' at the top of her lungs to get its attention. I shook my head a little at my extremely strange girlfriend and followed her, lunging at the crab and trying to run Riptide through it. That...didn't work. It was like the thing was made out of metal.

"There! Intruders!"

"Percy!" Andee yelled sternly as she did some sort of a crab dance around the deck, getting the crab to follow her. I seriously wondered what went through her mind.

I suddenly remembered something Paul had told me when we'd gone crabbing at my cabin. To kill a crab, you had to stab it in the chink in its armor, which was right in the middle of their stomachs.

I looked at the found and felt a pulling sensation in my stomach. Within seconds the fountain exploded, spraying water everywhere. I went charging towards the crab, screaming at the top of my lungs before sliding under it like a baseball player sliding to home and thrusted Riptide into the chink.

The monster crab shuddered and hissed before its eyes dissolved. The shell turned bright red and soon the entire thing evaporated, leaving just a husk of a shell.

Andee ran over to me, kind of resembling a dead rat as she wrung out her soaking hair and gave me a dirty look. "Sorry," I said sheepishly. I had forgotten that she didn't automatically dry when it was dark out.

We ran to the nearest set of stairs and as we ran, Andee seemed to notice that I wasn't carrying Riptide anymore, so she handed over her dagger. "I can't leave you without a weapon," I said, trying to give it back to her.

"I'm fine without a weapon, you're not," Andee said. "Besides, I still have my bow and arrows." She reached behind her and unhooked her bow from her body. It shimmered for a moment before changing into a crossbow. I wrapped my hands around the hilt of the dagger, having to remind myself that it was a lot smaller than a sword.

When we got to deck eight, we ran into a couple of dracaenae, who immediately recognized us. They exchanged smiles before one said, "What isss thisssss? A prize for Kronossss!"

"Screw that," Andee muttered before shooting one in the heart with an arrow, immediately dissolving it into dust. I tried to use the dagger to stab the other, but it didn't get all the way through, so we had to keep running.

"Get them!"

An arrow whizzed past me and got stuck in the mahogany-paneled wall behind us. It was so close that I had actually felt it fly past my hair. Andee immediately turned around and shot the shooter with one of her own arrows, but she didn't miss like he had.

We had to keep moving up to keep them away from Beckendorf. As we went up yet another stairwell, a kid charged down sluggishly, as if he had just woken up. He armor was half on and he drew his sword, yelling "Kronos!" He sounded more scared than angry, and he was only about twelve years old, the same age I was when I first found out I was a half-blood.

Andee threw him up against the wall, elbowing him in the stomach before holding her crossbow to his neck. "Andee!" I yelled at her.

She ignored me. "Are you willing to die for this cause?" she demanded. The kid quivered. "Are you?"

"N-no," he stuttered, probably scared out of his mind.

"Then get as far away from this boat as you can and bring any other demigods who might feel the same as you," she said. "Do you understand me?"

He nodded and Andee shoved him down the stairs to get him on his way.

We ran past the cafeteria and burst onto the main deck, just off port bow. The sky was darkening from purple to black, and the swimming pool was glowing between two glass towers with balconies and a restaurant deck. The whole upper deck was eerily deserted. We needed to get to the other side to get to the helipad and from there we would jump into the sea, detonating the explosives from a quarter mile away.

"You're late, Percy," Luke said, standing on the balcony above us in jeans, a white t-shirt and flip flops. He looked like an average college student - or, he would if not for his solid gold eyes.

Andee cursed loudly and shut her eyes at the same time I slapped a hand over her eyes, just to be extra sure that they were closed. I held her as close to me as I could because I had to protect her. He was not going to take her from me. "We've been expecting the two of you for days now. Come bow before me."

"Screw you," Andee spat at him. Actually, she didn't say 'screw'. It was a much nastier word that I really didn't want to repeat.

Laistrygonians appeared on both sides of the swimming pool like they had been waiting for this, all of them holding spiked clubs. Demigod archers appeared on the roof above Luke and hellhounds leapt down from the opposite balcony and snarled at us. Andee jolted and I held her even tighter.

I knew right away that this had been a trap. There was no way we could be in this position unless they had known we were coming. If I was being honest, I was terrified. A part of me reminded myself that I was going to have to fight him eventually, so why not now?"

"Come forward if you dare," Luke said. The crowd of monsters parted like the Red Sea.

"I'll be okay," she whispered, taking a few steps behind me, keeping a hand on my back. That way no one would attack either of us from behind, and she was less likely to look at Luke. Some part of me hoped she still had her eyes closed, and as talented as she was, I knew she wasn't willing to take the chance of someone attacking her because her eyes were closed.

I walked towards Luke and I felt Riptide return to my pocket. I took it out and unsheathed it, handing Andee's dagger back to her. We immediately started fighting, Andee taking on every other monster on the ship while I dealt with the most powerful one - Kronos.

As I charged towards him, I suddenly felt like I was running in slow motion. The monsters surrounding him started laughing and I knew Kronos was doing something to me. I had to fight back. I had to do _something_. I summoned the ocean, feeling that same pulling sensation behind my naval like I had before. The whole boat lurched sideways as four thousand gallons of salt water came flooding out of the swimming pool and doused everyone on the deck. Luckily, it had gotten me out of the spell just like I had hoped.

I charged and my sword immediately met his in battle. He swung and I could only deflect it. I remember when I was on one of my quests that a telekhine had said that the blade could sever your soul with just one touch. I couldn't let that happen, so when he swung the scythe at me, I deflected as best as I could, but it still grazed my arm. It really shouldn't have hurt that much, but I felt like my arm was going to fall off. I had to switch Riptide to my left hand. I tried uselessly to strike him again, but my sword bounced off him as if he were made of titanium. Or he was a crab in disguise. I doubted that last option, though.

"A poor performance, Percy Jackson. Luke tells me you were never his match at swordplay," Kronos laughed.

My vision started to blur from the force of the impact. "Luke had a big head, but at least it was _his_ head."

"Such a shame to kill you before the final plan unfolds. I would love to see the terror in your eyes when you realize how I'm going to destroy Olympus."

"Too bad this boat isn't getting anywhere near Manhattan," Andee said, letting flames appear in her hands.

"Now now, Andromeda," he said. She tensed when he said her full name. There were very few people in this world who were told what her name really was, and Kronos and Luke definitely weren't among Andee's confidantes. "Not only will you kill everyone on the boat, but you'll kill your boyfriend and your little friend with the explosives." He paused and her flames diminished when she fully comprehended what he had said. He had Beckendorf. Andee moved backwards until her back was right against mine, her free arm hooking around my stomach. I laced my fingers with hers for a moment, relishing the feeling. "Nakamura!"

Ethan Nakamura walked out, following by two giants that were restraining Beckendorf. Beckendorf had a black eye and cuts all over his body.

"Success, my lord. We found him just as we were told." Beckendorf met my eyes and glanced down at his hand. I looked down and saw that he still had his watch.

He still had his watch.

His watch was the detonator.

"We found him amidships trying to sneak to the engine room."

"Are you certain he didn't set the explosives?"

"Er...he was heading in that direction. And he told us. His bag is still full of explosives," Ethan said nervously.

I had to hold back my smile when I realized that Beckendorf had fooled them. When he realized that he was going to be captured, he turned around to make it look like he was going the other way. That meant that the Greek fire might still be primed. The pain in my arm was getting worse by the second, so I hoped they would buy the story.

I should know by now to never get my hopes up.

"Open his bag." One of the giants ripped open Beckendorf's bag and a dozen cans of peaches came tumbling out. Kronos wasn't nearly as cocky now. "Did you, perhaps, capture this demigod near the galley?"

"Um -"

"And did you, perhaps, send someone to actually CHECK THE ENGINE ROOM?"

Ethan bolted in the opposite direction, and I wasn't sure if he was actually going to check the engine room, or if he was going to find somewhere to hide. Either way, someone would go down there and disarm our bombs. I looked at Beckendorf and tried to mentally ask how long it would take to detonate the bombs. He made a circular shape with his thumb and index finger. The timer had no delay.

"You'll have to excuse my incompetent help, Percy Jackson," Kronos said as if he were hosting a dinner party with bad catering staff. "But it doesn't matter. We have you and Andromeda now. We've known you were coming for weeks."

He has a spy at camp," Andee said, just as Kronos revealed a silver bracelet with a scythe charm. She couldn't see it, but I knew she understood what was happening. The charm had to be a communication device at camp.

"You can't count on friends. They will always let you down. Luke learned that lesson the hard way," Kronos said. That wasn't true. True friends were always there for you, no matter what. That was what friends were all about. "Now drop your sword and come bow before me or your friend dies."

One of the giants had a hand around Beckendorf's neck. I could feel Andee nod her head against me and suddenly I was confused. Why was she nodding? What was going on?

When Beckendorf started to bring his hand up to his watch, I knew in an instant what he was doing but couldn't stop him. Andee had grabbed and forced me towards the edge of the boat. I managed to throw my sword at Kronos as we ran. Just as I jumped into the ocean, someone shot an arrow and hit me in the thigh. Andee was just as protective of her loved ones as I was, so she spun around to confront the attacker. She couldn't be harmed by the fire anyways.

Suddenly her body went stone still.

"Andee! Andee!" I shouted, but she didn't even acknowledge me. She lowered her crossbow, her dagger still tucked into the back of her shorts. She started walking towards Kronos and when I saw the color of her eyes, I felt like my heart was being ripped from my chest. They were pure gold.

The boat exploded in a giant fireball of green flame, and before I could try to get back on board and find Andee, I passed out.


	28. The Worst Day of My Life

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the PJO books, series, movies, characters, or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! I know it's been awhile since I've posted, but I've been in a bit of a rut. I've also had a crazy week, including set work and my nineteenth birthday (Yes, I'm exactly one day younger than Percy Jackson). But I got the Ultimate Guide to Percy Jackson and The Demigod Diaries (I think that's the newest one? The one released on Aug 14th?) and they have inspired me to write more. And I really want to get to Drop in the Ocean, because it's way different than before but good. A few people have asked for more chapters in Andee's POV, and the sequel will pretty much be all in her point-of-view. So wish granted! If anyone has any specific questions they wanted answered, feel free to PM me! I always answer back! But as always, please review and favorite and alert!

**Chapter Twenty-Eight  
The Worst Day of My Life**

"Percy?"

My head felt like it was made of lead. My eyes were aching but I slowly opened them to see a shadowy figure looming over me. "Beckendorf?" I asked groggily.

"No, brother." When my eyes finally adjusted, I saw that the shadowy figure was actually Tyson, my half-brother. "Yay! Your brain works!"

My entire body was shivering from the cold and I felt like my body could float into the sky at any moment. My voice sounded strange and foreign, and I didn't think I was actually hearing Tyson. It felt more like vibrations inside of my skull. I felt a huge part of me missing. "Where -"

"Daddy's palace."

I took a moment to look around and saw that I was lying on a bed of woven kelp and glowing pearls the size of basketballs drifted around to the room, providing light.

My head was throbbing and when I looked at my shirt, it was still burned from the explosion. The wounds on my arms and legs had healed because of being in the ocean, but I still felt like I'd been run over by a stampeded of Laistrygonians after a trip to the donut store.

"How long -"

"We found you last night sinking through the water."

"The Princess Andromeda?"

"Went ka-boom."

"Beckendorf and Andee were on board. You never got to meet her...oh gods, you never got to meet her...did you find...?"

Tyson shook his head. "Sorry, brother."

Beckendorf was supposed to start his freshman year of college in the fall. He had a girlfriend, a ton of friends, and a whole life ahead of him. I knew there was no way he could have gotten away from that explosion alive, no matter how many excuses I made up. Beckendorf was dead. He had sacrificed himself to take down the Princess Andromeda, and I had left him there to die. I had abandoned Beckendorf and Andee.

Oh gods, Andee. Just thinking of her made my stomach wrap into a thousand knots and my heart start stinging as if there was a blade stuck in it. After everything, I couldn't change her future. I couldn't stop Kronos from taking her, and now he had her and there was nothing I could do about it. I had no idea what he could be doing to her, but I didn't imagine it was anything good. I didn't even know why he wanted her, but she was gone now. My body felt like ice and I didn't have the will to move. I didn't have the will to do anything.

"Brother, we must go to daddy. He is blowing up monsters."

I thought the statement was a little weird, but I followed Tyson through my dad's palace anyhow. I had wanted to see my dad's palace for a long time now, but I wasn't paying much attention. I had just gotten one of my friends killed and my girlfriend taken away, possibly forever. I couldn't have taken in any details if I tried.

I was only shaken out of my thoughts when I saw a squid bigger than a skyscraper descend on the palace. An arc of blue light shot it and the monster instantly dissolved. "Did dad do that?" I asked. If my dad was able to do _that_, maybe there was some hope for this war after all. "Have you been fighting? Like, bashing heads with your super awesome Cyclops strength and stuff?"

Apparently this was a touchy subject for Tyson because he looked away from me when he said, "I have been...fixing weapons. Come. Let's go find daddy."

We arrived at the throne room to see three people and a dolphin. There was a merman with two tails and green skin that looked pretty young, and an older man with a bushy white beard, grey hair and bright green eyes studying a map. Beside the older man was a beautiful woman with flowing black hair and horns like crab claws. Then there was the dolphin, who was also looking interestedly at the map before chattering to the old man and swimming away.

I looked at the scene in confusion before coming to a shocking conclusion about the old man. "Dad?"

He looked up and smiled sadly. "Hello, Percy."

"What - what happened to you?" I asked. Tyson was shaking his head but my dad didn't seem too offended.

"It's quite alright, Tyson. Percy, excuse my appearance. This war has been hard on me."

"But you're immortal - you can look any way you want."

"I reflect the state of my realm and right now, that state is quite grim. Percy, I should introduce you - I'm afraid you've just missed my lieutenant Delphin, God of Dolphins. This is my, er, wife, Amphitrite. My dear -"

She looked at me like I was a barnacle stuck to her shoe...even though she didn't wear shoes. With a cold glare in my direction, she turned to my dad and said, "Excuse me, my lord. I am needed in battle." Then she swam away.

I kind of understood why she was so rude. Here was my dad, an immortal, with an immortal wife, and he's still romancing mortals, including my mom.

"Yes, well...this is my son, Triton. Er, my other son."

"Your son and heir," Triton corrected, an air of haughtiness in his voice. Andee probably would've told him to take the pole out of his ass. I couldn't think about Andee right now or I'd break down, even if it was just what she would say if she were here with me. "Hello Perseus Jackson. Come to help at last?"

I wanted to punch this guy in his smug face. He had no idea what he was talking about. Even on land, we were helping as much as we could. _I _was helping as much as I could. And seeing as how I could have just lost one of the most important people in my life, I was sacrificing a lot for the cause.

"Go see to the front lines," Poseidon said before I could yell at him. He gave his son a glare as he raised his trident and shot a huge sea serpent that was heading towards the castle. It exploded into a million scared goldfish. "I apologize for my family - they are quite anxious. The battle against Oceanus is not going well."

"Oceanus, as in the Titan of the Sea?"

Dad explained how Oceanus was neutral in the first war where it was the gods against the titans, but that this time around, Kronos must have convinced him to fight. And Oceanus would not sign on to any side unless he was sure he would win.

Personally, I thought he looked stupid. I mean seriously, who fought with a snake?"

But dad was worried. Apparently they had been at war for almost a year now and he was getting weaker. Oceanus was finding all sorts of new things to throw dad's way. I saw Briares fighting in the distance with a giant lobster. I had seen a lot of oversized crustaceans today.

"Percy, we do not have much time - tell me of your mission. Did you see Kronos?"

So I told him everything, and when it came to the part about Beckendorf and Andee, I couldn't hold it in anymore. I started crying.

I was embarrassed. I hadn't wanted to break down like this in front of my dad. He was the god of the sea, one of the Big Three, and here was his son, bawling his eyes out like a baby.

He actually came over and hugged me. It was a little weird, but in a way, it was comforting. He backed up and put a hand on my shoulder. "Percy, Beckendorf chose the death of a hero. Kronos' army will now be in disarray because of what you did. Many of his forces were destroyed."

"But we didn't kill him, did we?"

Dad shook his head. "You have bought our side more time that we desperately need."

"There were demigods on that ship. _Andee_ was on that ship," I emphasized.

"There were only a few demigod warriors on that ship and that is the destiny they chose, even after the warning your girlfriend gave them," Poseidon said. "As for Andee...she sacrificed her freedom to make sure you go out safely. She knew that there are things you still have to do for this war to be won. And now the invasion force is scattered and New York is safe for a little while longer, giving the other Olympians time to deal with the bigger threat."

I paused for a moment. "The bigger threat?"

"You've had enough sorry for one day, son. Ask Chiron about it when you get back to camp." I tried to argue that I could help him with the fight against Oceanus, but he wouldn't hear it. "Return to camp and when you get there, tell Chiron it's time for you to hear the entire prophecy."

"You should let Tyson fight," I said as I was about to leave. "He hates being stuck in the armory."

My dad frowned. "It's bad enough that I have to send you into danger. Tyson is young and I have to protect him."

"He doesn't want you to protect him; he wants you to trust him."

I willed the currents to take me back to the shore of Camp Half-Blood and as soon as I reached the shallower waters of the Long Island Sound, Connor Stoll blew the conch, alerting the entire camp of my return.

He immediately started asking me questions about what happened, but when he finally realized that I was by myself, he backed off. Everyone did that as I continued my solemn walk to the Big House. Chiron found me just as I was passing the pavilion.

"Percy! Thanks the gods! But where..."

Annabeth was right behind me and froze when she saw I was alone.

"The ship blew up. He wasn't destroyed. I don't know where -"

Silena Beauregard and Lee pushed to the front of the crowd. At this point, I kind of wished Lee would punch me in the face. I least then I would feel some of the pain I felt on the inside on the outside.

"Where's Charlie?" Silena asked.

I didn't want to be the one to tell her what happened. I desperately looked to Chiron and he suggested that they go talk about it in the Big House. She started crying as Clarisse led her away. Everyone was watching me, but the one pair of eyes that mattered was Lee's. I hadn't protected his sister like I had said all along that I would.

"I don't blame you," Lee said quietly. "There's nothing you could have done." Then he moved to the back of the group. Somehow he knew what had happened and for some reason, he didn't blame me. Even I blamed myself for not doing a better job of protecting her.

Annabeth was shaken out of her reverie and she rushed towards me and hugged me. "I'm glad you're not dead, Seaweed Brain."

"Thanks." I couldn't add 'me too' or anything like that because right now, I felt like I was dead.

Chiron put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure you did everything you could, Percy. Will you tell us what happened?"

Grudgingly I recounted what had happened again, and as I got to the end of the story, I started getting emotional again. When I felt my eyes getting hot with tears, I looked at the ground, determined not to let anyone see.

"We must call a war council immediately. We need to discuss this spy and other matters."

I told Chiron that my dad had mentioned a threat bigger than the Princess Andromeda and that it was time for me to hear the full prophecy. Chiron had obviously been dreading this day, but he had Annabeth bring me to the attic where she stood in front of the Oracle. After chanting she paused before reaching into a small pouch hanging around the mummy's neck. She pulled out a small roll of parchment.

"After all these years, this stupid prophecy has been hanging around her neck?" I asked. "Seriously?"

"The time was never right," Annabeth said as she placed it in my hands. "Percy, believe me when I tell you that I read this when I was ten years old and I've had nightmares ever since."

And apparently if I had waited all these years, I could wait a few more minutes to read it because it needed to be done in front of the war council. At this point, it could tell me of my impending death and I probably wouldn't even give it a second thought. All I wanted to do was lock myself in my cabin, hide under the covers and stay there for a few days. Actually, I probably wouldn't come out for the rest of my life. Either way.

When I walked into the rec room of the Big House, which also doubled as our war council headquarters, I painstakingly noticed the spot where Andee should've been sitting was empty. I stopped dead in my tracks, remembering sitting beside her after she had given the Prophecy in the middle of the Capture the Flag celebration feast. Even though her brothers had told both her and me to stay far, far away from each other, she had smiled and waved at me.

It shocked me a little when I realized that had only been a few weeks ago. It felt like I had been with Andee forever.

It took me a few minutes to register the full-on shouting match going on in front of me. Clarisse had her new spear, Maimer, out and her boar-shaped helmet tucked under one arm as she shouted at Lee. Lee towered over her, his hand tightly gripping his sword and his face red. I'd seen that face on multiple occasions and it was not good news.

"It's ours and if you don't like it, you can kiss my perfectly sculpted ass!" Lee yelled at Clarisse. Yes, he was definitely related to Andee. I smiled a little.

Apparently others found it pretty funny, because all around the table, the other head counselors were hiding their grins behind their hands. The only person not paying attention to the fight was Silena, and I couldn't blame her.

"STOP IT!" Annabeth roared and everyone quieted down. "What the Hades are you all doing?"

"Tell Lee not to be such a selfish, arrogant -"

"Extremely handsome and admirable son of Apollo?" Lee said charmingly. "Is that what you were going to say?"

Clarisse huffed angrily. "The only reason I'm here is to support Silena! Otherwise I'd be back in my cabin!"

"And I'm the selfish one?" Lee roared. "In case you've forgotten, Silena isn't the only person who has lost someone here. The entire Hephaestus cabin has, the entire Apollo cabin has, Percy has, Annabeth has, and really anyone who's met Andee has. But maybe you forgot that Andee's gone too. Last time I checked, she was friends with you too."

Everything went extremely quiet as all the eyes in the room shifted to look at Annabeth and me. "What is going on?" I asked quietly, finding myself unable to speak any louder.

"Clarisse is refusing to speak to any of us until we side with her. She hasn't spoken to any of us for three days now," Pollux said.

"It's been wonderful," Travis added.

"Side with her for what?" I asked.

Chiron shuffled his hooves next to me. "Clarisse, my dear, as I have already explained, Lee is correct. The campers of the Apollo cabin have the best claim. Besides, we have more important matters -"

"Sure. There's always something more important than what Ares needs. We're just supposed to show up and fight when you need us!"

"Clarisse," Annabeth said levelly. I could tell she was trying to choose her words carefully. "We're not ignoring the issue between your cabin and the Apollo cabin, but Chiron is right - there is more important matters that have to be dealt with right now that have nothing to do with any one person."

"In other words, get off your freakin' high horse and stop thinking only about yourself," Lee snapped at her. She started towards him and he made a calm gesture like 'come at me'.

"Lee," Chiron warned.

"Well," Clarisse said. "Until Ares gets what he wants, no one in my cabin is lifting a finger to help. Have fun dying."

She stormed out of the Big House without another word to anyone.

"Good riddance," Lee grumbled, folding his arms over his chest. Everyone else started freaking out, asking whether she was serious or not and that this was a disaster. I still had no idea what they were arguing over, but I knew both cabins were extremely stubborn and would never give something up willingly to the other.

"Her pride has been wounded, but she will calm down eventually," Chiron said, although he wasn't too convincing. "Now counselors, Percy has brought the Great Prophecy, something I think you should all hear."

The parchment was old and dry in my hands, and my shaking hands fumbled with the string tied around it. I uncurled the paper and tried to make me eyes see the words for what they actually said.

"_A half-blood of the eldest gods_

_Shall reach seventeen against all odds_

_And see the world in an endless sleep_

_The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap_

_A single choice shall end his days_

_Olympus to preserve or raze_," I read. My heart dropped into my stomach. I really shouldn't have made that joke earlier about the prophecy being about my imminent death.

This day sucked.

Everyone was staring at me with concern, pity or fear. Everyone else seemed to understand just how crappy this day was for me too.

Chiron closed his eyes for a moment. "You see now, Percy, why we thought it best not to tell you the whole prophecy before now. You've always had enough on your shoulders -"

"Without realizing I was going to die in the end anyways?" I asked bitterly. "Yeah, I get it."

"Percy," Annabeth said softly, putting a gentle hand on my arm. "You know prophecies always have double meanings. It might not literally mean you die."

"Sure," I said. "'A single choice shall end his days'. That has a lot of meanings, right?"

Everyone became silent when they realized how badly I was taking the news. Andee was the only person I knew who truly understood prophecies and she would know if there were any double meanings. But oh yeah, she wasn't here. "Perhaps we should let Percy think about these lines. He needs time -"

"No," I said, folding up the prophecy and shoving it into my pocket. I wanted nothing to do with it. "I don't need time. If I die, I die. I can't worry about that, right? So let's move on. We've got other problems - like a spy."

"A spy?" Lee asked in disbelief. I told them everything we had heard while on the Princess Andromeda, and about the scythe charm Kronos had been wearing that I suspected was the communication device. We had always suspected there had been a spy at camp passing information to Luke, which Connor reminded everyone, but as soon as people started arguing, Annabeth reminded everyone to just keep an eye out for the charm because if Kronos had one, so would the spy.

"We need to out the spy before we plan our next attack. The explosion isn't going to stop them forever, and we can't chance having another operation go south," Lee said.

"Indeed," Chiron agreed. "In fact, his next assault is already on the way."

Apparently the 'bigger threat' Poseidon had mentioned was Typhon. As in, the storm giant Titan that almost wiped out the Olympians. Apparently the explosion in the mountain I had made awhile ago helped break the seal on his prison. And now he was coming to New York, causing 'freak storms' all over the country as he did so. The gods were fighting him, but apparently not doing too well. We had a few weeks at most until he arrived. And right now, Olympus was completely unguarded.

When I mentioned that it was a trick and told them what Kronos had said, they had a hard time believing that Typhon could be a trick. They all seemed to think that the Princess Andromeda had been the trick. I didn't believe it, but I agreed with them anyways. My bed was calling for me.

"I think that's enough for one night," Chiron said. "Annabeth, Lee and Percy, I'd like you to stay behind. We have one more matter to discuss."

I stayed in my seat and led my head fall onto the table. I was done. I was done dealing with everything today and I wanted it to all be over with.

"As you all know, Andee has been taken by Kronos," Chiron said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Over the years, we've been theorizing different things, but the most logical reason seems to be that he wants a virginal queen for when he finally 'retakes his throne'," Chiron said. "Rhea proved to be unreliable in the first war because she helped Zeus and her other children destroy him. This time around, he wants someone who not only is extremely powerful, but that he can also control."

"Andee was the perfect target, and because Luke already knew her, that made her an even better target," Annabeth said. Lee was quiet, watching me.

"Andee...Andee's not a virgin," I mumbled, my face becoming hot. "She's hasn't been for awhile now."

"That's my little sister!" Lee leapt across the table, immediately drawing his sword. I backed up out of my chair and whipped out Riptide, holding it in front of me. "I will kill you, you son-of-a-"

"Hey, she was the one who -"

"Lee! Stand down!" Chiron ordered. It took Lee a few moments to obey. "This might work in her favor."

"Better for her? I really doubt this is better for her," Lee snapped. "He's going to kill her now!"

"I don't think he will," Chiron said calmly. "He would never waste that kind of power by killing her. If anything, it could protect her from facing other tortures while she's in his custody."

None of us wanted to think in detail about what he meant. That was too horrible to even think about.

"I need the three of you especially to accept that you may never see Andee again," Chiron said. "Even if it looks like her, it won't really be her. It is someone else inside her body who will not hesitate to kill anyone she may have known before. No matter what connection you have had with her in the past, she will not remember any of them, no matter how hard you try to convince her. You have to be willing to kill her on the spot if it means keeping Olympus and Camp safe because she could be as big a threat, or an even bigger threat, to Olympus than Typhon."


	29. The Key

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, series, movies or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! Sorry it's taken me so long to update! I've been super busy lately and haven't had much time to do anything. So while I have a quick break, I thought I'd leave a quick update for you all! Enjoy and as always, please review and favorite!

**Chapter Twenty-Nine  
The Key**

Annabeth walked me back to my cabin before leaving towards her own. She had to have been devastated by what had happened too, but she wasn't showing it. She wasn't one to display her emotions openly.

As soon as I saw her walk into the Athena cabin, I did a quick glance around and snuck over to the Zeus cabin. I had only ever been in Andee's cabin once before, but it had changed quite a bit in those few weeks. There were a few small piles of clothes on the floor and music instruments everywhere. Her bed was a little messed up, and her walls, dresser, and wardrobe were all decorated with pictures.

I looked at all the pictures, seeing different ones from before I knew here where she was smiling with Val, Annabeth, and some of the other friends I had met at her farewell party. Then there were the photos she had taken on our quest, laughing and smiling with everyone in the middle of danger.

I smiled a little as I looked at them and then moved over to the bed, sitting down at first. The exhaustion from the day came over me and I let myself fall over onto the bed. As soon as my head hit the pillow, all I could smell was Andee. That very distinct smell that could make me relax and feel safe even after a day like today.

I closed my eyes and all I could see when I was sleeping was Andee staring at Kronos, her eyes the same molten gold color that his was. The jewel of her necklace had turned a sickly green color, which meant that she no longer had control over her own body.

It was hard to finally asleep and even when I did, all I had were nightmares about all the horrible things that could be happening to her. It went on like that for a week. I would train all day (Annabeth would come and literally force me out of bed and to stop sulking) and at night, I would sneak back into the Zeus cabin, only to be plagued by horrible images of Andee with gold eyes every time I closed mine.

After one particularly long day where a war council meeting was planned to try to figure out a plan of action (which was never actually completed, by the way), I went back to Andee's cabin and was about to flop on the bed when someone coughed. I immediately straightened up and pulled out my sword, only to see that it was Nico sitting on one of the other beds. He was wearing his usual black jeans, aviator's jacket and a black shirt with dancing skeletons on it. He looked grim, as if he were about tot ell me even more bad news, which I didn't need to know.

I sheathed my sword and gave him a look as if to ask why he was here.

"Annabeth told me you'd probably be here," Nico said awkwardly, playing with his sword for a moment before saying, "I found the key. The real one."

That sure got my attention. I looked at him and he pulled a scroll out of one of the pockets of his aviator's jacket. It was the same scroll we had found in the maze that was supposed to be the key to defeating Kronos. "It was a trick, Nico."

"No, it wasn't," Nico said, standing up and handing me the scroll. "You should know by now that things are never as simple as they seem. You've known you were a half-blood longer than I have, and even I was able to figure it out. When I looked at the message closer, I saw that every sentence was written to begin with a specific letter."

"So what does that mean?" I asked.

"The letters at the beginning of each sentence spell 'River Styx'," Nico said and suddenly the room went cold. "What o you know about Achilles' Curse?"

I thought about it for a minute, trying to think back to all of my Greek history lesson here at camp. "He was invincible except for one spot on his heel. That's where the saying 'Achilles Heel' comes from." I paused for a moment. "What does that have to do with the River Styx and fighting Kronos?"

"You really need to start reading more," Nico muttered. "Anyone who bathes in the River Styx gets the strength, power, speed and near invincibility of Achilles. The bather chooses a spot that keeps them grounded to the real world and their mortal life after they've bathed in the river. If the person doesn't focus on that point while they bathe in the river, their soul will be incinerated."

"Sounds like fun," I said sarcastically before realizing what he was really asking me to do. "Wait, you think I should bathe in the River Styx? Are you crazy?"

"It's right here, Percy! It's the key to winning against Kronos," Nico said, shaking the scroll a little to emphasize his point.

"I don't know," I said. "I need to think about it."

"Think about Luke. There's no way the camp will be able to defeat an entire Titan army and you know that. The whole battle is going to come down to you and Luke because you're the only one who can beat him." I remembered how hopelessly outmatched I had been against Luke on the Princess Andromeda. It finally made sense how Kronos had done it - he had gotten Luke to bathe in the River Styx so that he was near invincible. "Unless you wanted to have your soul reaped by a cursed blade, this is the only way."

"Nico, I'm still not sure about this. Maybe we should try fighting without -"

"No!" Nico yelled. I hadn't seen him that angry in a long time. "You have to do it now! As soon as the fighting starts, there's no way we'll be able to make the journey. This is our last chance." He paused for a moment, looking at me seriously. "Two years ago, my sister gave her life to protect you. I want you to honor that and do whatever it takes to stay alive and defeat Kronos."

I didn't like the idea, but some part of me knew that it really was the only I'd even stand a chance against Kronos. It was the only way to avenge everyone who had given up their lives to protect me. It was the only way I'd ever be able to find and save Andee.

I didn't have a lot of time to fully think this through, but I didn't have much time to do anything these days. It had to be done. "Alright," I decided. "What do we do first?"

"We need to talk to the person who left us this key," Nico said and I looked at him strangely as he started towards the door. He led the way outside and sitting beside the campfire in the middle of the cabins was an eight-year-old girl and Mrs. O'Leary. The mousy-haired girl was scratching Mrs. O'Leary's ears.

"Hello Percy Jackson. Would you like something to eat?" the little girl asked, waving her hand and making a whole picnic appear with different sandwiches, fruits, potato salad, pasta salad and all sorts of other foods I hadn't had in a long time. When my stomach rumbled, I realized how long it had been since the last time I'd eaten.

I had learned enough in my years of being a demigod that you did not take food from anyone that knew your name. If they knew your name and you'd never met them, chances were that they were a monster.

"Hello again, Lady," Nico said, bowing to the little girl. I looked between Nico and the girl and decided I should probably bow as well.

Then I sat down and just as I was about to take a bite, I scraped part of my meal into the flames. "For the gods," I said quietly.

The little girl smiled at me. "Thank you. As tender of the flame, I get a share of every sacrifice, you know."

Now I recognized her. "You were sitting here when I first came to camp."

"Yet you did not stop to talk," she recalled sadly. "Alas, most never do. Nico was one of the few who did - the first in many years, actually. Now everyone rushes about with no time to visit family."

"You're Hestia," I said, remembering Andee's friend Delia, who was one of Hestia's few children. It was kind of strange to think she could be a mother when she looked like she was only eight years old. "Goddess of the Hearth." I paused for a moment to take a bite of my sandwich. "So you're X? You're the one who left us the 'key'?"

"I apologize for having to be so cryptic and hard to find," Hestia said regretfully. "As you know, Zeus does not like the gods interfering with half-bloods, but as you may have noticed, they have larger problems to deal with. It was lucky for all that Nico figured out the message so quickly. One day longer and all may have been lost. I am guessing you have decided to take the same path as Luke Castellan?"

I nodded.

"Not all powers are spectacular, you know," Hestia said. "Sometimes the hardest power to master is the power of yielding. When Dionysus was made a god, I gave him my throne to avoid a civil war among the gods. Now I tend the fire and keep the peace. Can you do this?"

"I don't know what you mean."

She studied me for what seemed like hours. "Perhaps not yet. But soon, because when all the gods are off fighting, I'm all that's left. Home. Hearth. You must remember me when you make your final decision. Should you continue you quest, you must seek your mother's blessing. And since you sacrificed to me, I will return you to your own hearth. I will see you again on Olympus, Percy Jackson."

The goddess waved her hand and suddenly Nico and I were sitting on the couch in my mom's apartment on the Upper East Side. Unfortunately, Mrs. O'Leary took up the rest of the apartment.

"Who put this wall of fur in the doorway?" I heard Paul ask.

"Percy?" my mom called. "Are you here?"

"I'm here!" I said. We maneuvered around until we were all standing in the kitchen except for Mrs. O'Leary. She stayed in the living room with her head resting in the doorway so she could still watch us.

As soon as I saw my mom, my arms were around her, hugging her tightly and starting to cry. I had lost so much in the past couple of weeks with Beckendorf dying, Andee being kidnapped and finding out that I was going to die that hugging my mom reminded me how badly I was hurting and how much I wanted to keep my mom safe.

"Percy, it will all be okay," my mom said soothingly, rubbing my back. I told her everything that had happened, only leaving out the part where I was going to die at the end of all of this. She didn't need that added stress.

"So all of this talk about monsters and being a demigod...it's all true?" Paul asked. I nodded as I sat down, wiping my eyes with the heels of my hands as I tried to get myself back together. Even though my mom and I had told Paul everything about who I really was last fall, I don't think he really believed us until that moment.

Nico gave me a look and I nodded, knowing what came next. I explained to them about the impending battle and Nico's plan.

My mom didn't like the idea. Actually, she hated it. But after explaining that it was the only way to stop an invasion of New York, Paul was able to convince her and my mom gave me her blessing.

"Before you go, Percy," my mom said, as if reading Nico's mind, "if you...if you survive this fight with Kronos, send me some sort of a sign. Maybe something I could see from anywhere in Manhattan, like a flag or a flare."

"Something blue," I said, smiling at our ongoing joke. She nodded, hugged me and told me how much she loved me before I left. Nico led the way to Central Park, to the Door of Orpheus. I had never used this way to get into the Underworld. "So how do we get in?"

"We need some sort of music," Nico said. "That's how Orpheus did it - he played his lyre and made this entrance to the Underworld."

"Any chance you feel like singing?" I asked and Nico's eyes went wide as he shook his head. "Then you might want to cover your ears because this won't be pretty."

I remembered one of the times Andee had sun in the car while we were on our short vacation and started singing the words to one of the songs. I definitely could not sing, but apparently my warbling counted as music because the boulders trembled and a triangular crevice appeared between them. The air smelled like mildew and death. I shuddered just thinking of all the times I'd been in the Underworld or some creepy maze. This tunnel felt more dangerous than any of those times.

"Let's go," I said to Nico as Mrs. O'Leary bounded down the steps in excitement. We followed Mrs. O'Leary into the darkness. It felt like the stairs went on forever. They were also really slippery. The only light we had was coming from my sword.

After about an hour of walking, I heard the roar of a rushing river. Try saying that five times fast. We came out of the tunnel of stairs at the base of a cliff. The River Styx was on my right, and in the far distance on the left, was the black walls of Hades' kingdom.

"So...what do I do? Do I just jump in because I'm telling you, there are much better places to go swimming," I mentioned, staring at the murky black water full of homecoming corsages and ripped up diplomas.

"This is serious. Before you go in, you have to prepare yourself and anchor yourself to your mortal life," Nico said. "Otherwise you're entire body and soul will be burned away."

"Sounds like fun," I said sarcastically before Nico's eyes widened and he stared behind me. I turned to see someone who looked just like Ares with his battle armor, closely shaved black hair and scarred face. "Achilles," I said immediately.

The ghost nodded. "I warned the other one not to take my path and now I will warn you. Do not do this. It will make you powerful, but it will also make you weak. What killed me was my arrogance. Beware! Turn back!"

"I have to," I said quietly. "Otherwise I don't stand a chance."

Achilles lowered his head like he was already mourning my death. "Let the gods witness that I tried to prevent this. Hero, if you must do this, concentrate on your mortal point. Imagine one spot of your body that will remain vulnerable. This is the point where your soul will anchor your body to the world. It will be your greatest weakness, but also your only hope. No man can be completely invulnerable. Lose sight of what keeps you mortal and the River Styx will burn you to ashes. You will cease to exist."

"I don't suppose you could tell me Luke's mortal point?" I asked. He scowled at me before vanishing. It was worth a shot.

"Percy," Nico said hesitantly, "maybe he's right."

"This was _your_ idea," I told him. "Just wait on the shore. If anything happens to me...well, maybe Hades will get his wish and you'll be the child of the prophecy after all."

Nico paled at the thought.

I concentrated on the small of my back, just opposite of my bellybutton. It was a small spot that wouldn't be aimed at and would be hard to hit by accident, and it was much more dignified than my armpit. Then I pictured a cord connecting me to the rest of the world from the small of my back. I stepped into the river, and instead of walking in all brave and heroic like I had envisioned, I went stumbling in as soon as I touched the water.

It was like stepping into a vat of boiling acid, but multiply the pain by a hundred. Actually, even then you still wouldn't understand how painful it was. For the first time in my life, I couldn't breathe underwater and I understood the fear of drowning. I felt like I was dissolving in the water. I saw faces - Annabeth, Rachel, Grover, Tyson and my mom, but they faded as soon as they had appeared.

I was losing the fight. The pain was too much, and my hands and feet were being melted into the water while my soul was being torn from my body. I couldn't remember who I was.

"The cord," a familiar voice said in my head. "Remember the cord, you dumbass!"

I felt a tug on my lower back. The current pulled and pushed at me, but I wasn't being carried anymore. The cord was keeping me tied to the shore.

"Keep holding on," the same voice said, and in an instant I remembered it was Andee's. "We've still got so much to do."

I could see her now. Her blonde hair fell in waves down to her shoulders as she danced around a huge bonfire. The gold of her bathing suit sparkled in the fire. She let out a tinkling laugh as she looked at me. "Don't be so afraid, Perce," she said teasingly, sticking her tongue out at me. "Come on. Take my hand."

All of my memories came flooding back to me. My name was Perseus Jackson. I was the son of Poseidon and Sally Jackson. I had to save Andee. I had to fight Kronos and save the world. I reached out and took Andee's hand and suddenly, I was pulled out of the river. I collapsed on the sand and Nico jumped back in shock. I was alive and as the pain subsided, I knew I was different. Just a little bit because the process had worked. I turned to Nico. "Go to your father and convince him to help us. We'll need it."


	30. See The World In An Endless Sleep

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, movies, series, or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **Been working on the story some more so I decided it would be a good time to update! I hope you all enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review!

**Chapter Thirty  
See The World In An Endless Sleep**

As soon as I was out of the tunnel, I found the nearest payphone and left a message on Annabeth's cell phone asking for them as many campers as possible to the Empire State Building. I explained that something was going to happen by tonight and that we needed as many people as possible to defend Olympus.

As soon as I hung up the phone, I hailed a taxi and headed towards the Empire State Building, where hopefully the other campers were going to meet me. As the taxi got closer to the building, I saw three white vans with "Delphi Strawberry Fields" written on the side of them. When the drivers saw Mrs. O'Leary loping behind my taxi, the vans quickly pulled over. I quickly got out of the cab and made my way over.

I was ecstatic to see just how many people had come. The only ones missing were the Ares cabin. Clarisse was a stubborn idiot, and as far as I was concerned, we didn't need her. Even Chiron had come, his horse half compacted into his magic wheelchair. Everyone looked nervous because having so many demigods in one spot made us a giant target for all the monsters in the northeastern United States.

"You look like crap. When was the last time you slept, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth asked, giving me a quick hug. She was dressed in black camouflage with her Celestial bronze knife strapped to her arm and a laptop bag slung over her shoulder. Over the same shoulder was the bag Andee usually carried. "Where were you? We were all panicking."

"Nowhere important," I said distractedly. "Where's Grover? And why do you have Andee's bag?"

"Grover is gathering nature spirits to help fight. And I have Andee's bag because she has healing tools that will come in handy when people are injured," Annabeth said.

"Any word on her?" I asked, hoping Annabeth had seen something through their connection. Annabeth shook her head sadly, so I turned to address the rest of the group. "Thank you all for coming. Chiron, after you."

"I came to wish you luck, my boy. I make it a point to never visit Olympus unless I've been summoned. I shall try to find as many allies as possible among my brethren. In the mean time, you are the one who called the campers here, Percy. That makes you the leader."

Even if I had wanted to protest, there would have been no way. Everyone's eyes were already on me, waiting for me to explain the plan. "Okay, so like my message to Annabeth said, something bad is going to happen tonight - some sort of trap. We need to get an audience with Zeus and convince him to defend the city. Remember, we can't take no for an answer."

There was still a spy in our midst so I wasn't telling the full truth, but it would attract Kronos. It was time we started this thing.

We all walked to the Empire State building and I immediately told the security guard we needed access to the six-hundredth floor. It didn't take long to convince him what a stupid idea it was to have fifty-some demigods standing in his lobby. We split into two groups to go up the elevator - I led the first one. We started down the pathway to the palace and everything was strangely silent and empty. We continued walking until Pollux cried out.

"Look! What is that?"

We all froze as we watched blue lights streak towards Olympus like comets. It was like they were coming from all over the city, but as we got closer, they started to fizzle out.

"Like infrared scopes," Lee said. "We're being targeted."

"Get to the palace," I ordered and everyone started running. No one was guarding the hall of the gods. The doors were wide open and the room was empty except for one goddess - Hestia.

"Lady Hestia," I greeted, bowing to her. The rest of my friends followed my lead.

"I see you went through with the plan," Hestia said, choosing her words carefully. "You must be careful, though. You have gained much on your journey, but you are still blind to the most important truth. Perhaps a glimpse is in order."

"What is she talking about?" Annabeth whispered. I stared into Hestia's eyes and an image rushed into my mind. I could see two half-bloods crouched in the shadows, a fourteen-year-old Luke and a twelve-year-old Thalia. This was a vision from when Luke and Thalia were on the run before Grover found them. They both looked thin and hungry with wide eyes like they were used to being attacked.

This was when they found Annabeth because when they pulled back a tin, they found a much younger version of Annabeth wearing flannel pajamas. The little girl kicked and fought against Luke's grip, trying to get away. He calmed her down by explaining they were monster fighters too, and then told her they needed a fighter as fierce and clever as she was. Luke gave her a knife - the same knife she had been using for as long as I had known her - and told her that it took someone clever to use a knife. She seemed to like that idea, and Thalia and Luke told her they weren't going to turn her into her family because they were her family now.

The scene shifted to show the trio several days - or maybe even weeks - later running from something. Annabeth had changed into clothes that were a little too big for her and Luke held her hand to keep her steady. Thalia took the rear, holding up her shield and limping as fast as she could. They scrambled to a white colonial house that Luke grudgingly admitted to his companions was his house, and tat if it wasn't an emergency, he wouldn't have gone anywhere near it. A loud voice boomed that he should not have come home and then the vision stopped.

I had to shake my head a bit to remember where I was and when I looked at Hestia, I could tell that she expected me to know why she had shown me that. I remember hearing one along my journeys that to understand your enemy, you had to understand their family. I still didn't understand why she had shown me those scenes, though.

"I don't understand," I said quietly, trying to pull myself together. Whatever those visions meant, I had to stay focused. "We're on urgent business, Lady Hestia. We need to see -"

"We know what you need," a man's voice said. I shuddered because it was the same booming voice from the vision. A god shimmered into existence next to Hestia. He had curly salt and pepper hair, elfish features, and held a long staff intertwined with two snakes.

"I will leave you now," Hestia said, quickly vanishing. If I could get out of here that quickly, I would.

"Hello, Percy," he said and he seemed annoyed with me. I wonder if he knew about the vision I'd just had. I wondered what had happened after he had caught Luke because I remember asking Luke if he had ever met his dad and he replied with 'Once'. I guess that had been the one time.

"Lord Hermes," I said, bowing before adding, "Hello George. Hello Martha" to the snakes on his staff. I addressed Hermes once the snakes were quiet enough that I could talk. "Hermes, we need to talk to Zeus. It's important."

"I'm his messenger. May I take a message?" The demigods behind me shifted nervously. This wasn't going how I planned.

Annabeth started getting everyone to go sweep the city and check for defenses, putting Travis and Connor Stoll in charge, which made them pretty happy, especially when it was done in front of their dad.

"Lord, Kronos is going to attack New York. Surely you must suspect that and my mother must have foreseen it," Annabeth said.

"Your mother," Hermes grumbled before going into a rage about how Athena kept pestering Zeus that it was a trap and that someone needed to warn the demigods. Of course Zeus wouldn't let his best strategist go so he sent Hermes. He explained that the gods' teleporting thing was actually a form of air travel and it was fast, but the wind gods were faster. He explained that if Kronos wanted Olympus, he'd have to go up the elevator just like anyone else. He also told us that with Poseidon fighting his own war, Hades, Demeter and Persephone sitting idle in the Underworld, that the other Olympians were having trouble trying to defeat Typhon, who almost defeated the gods back in the old days.

"So basically your mother said that you're on your own, but to try plan twenty-three. She said you'd know what that meant." Annabeth paled at the thought. Obviously she did know what it meant and wasn't too fond of that plan. "And she told me to tell Percy to remember the rivers."

"Thank you, Lord Hermes," Annabeth said. "And I'm so sorry about Luke."

Wrong thing to say, apparently, because Hermes started to freak out. He grew until he was ten feet tall and changed his staff into something resembled an electric cow prod. I realized that he wasn't annoyed with me this entire time like it had seemed, but Annabeth. He started going off about how Annabeth should blame herself and when I tried to step in, he went to attack me and realized something. I tried to ask him about May Castellan but Hermes wasn't listening to any of us anymore.

"I will leave you now," he said tightly. "I have a way to fight."

He started to shine and I turned myself and a frozen Annabeth away. When he disappeared, I didn't have the heart to ask Annabeth what Hermes meant. I had to trust that Annabeth wasn't actually to blame. And I did trust it.

"So what is Plan Twenty-Three?" I asked Annabeth. She looked thankful for the distraction and booted up the laptop Daedalus had given her. She opened a few files and began to read.

"Gods we have a lot of work to do," Annabeth said. "If my mother wants me to use this plan, things are very bad. What does her message about 'Remember the rivers' mean?"

I shrugged. Not for the first time, I had no clue what the gods were trying to tell me. It would help if they stopped speaking so cryptically. Just as I was trying to figure out what rivers she could possibly be talking about, Connor Stoll burst into the throne room.

"You need to see this," he said. "Now."

When a demigod burst into a room and used the word now as a sentence, you knew it was urgent. Annabeth and I followed Connor to a small tourist area at the base of the mountain where the rest of the campers had all gathered, looking through the binoculars down at the island. I put in a drachma and looked around to see that everything looked normal, but something was definitely wrong. There were no sounds, no movement, nothing. As I looked around, pedestrians were lying on the sidewalks or curled up in doorways. It was like everyone in New York had decided to stop what they were doing and pass out all at the same time. If this was some sort of flash mob, they had really bad timing.

"Are they dead?" Silena asked.

My stomach turned when I remembered one of the lines from the prophecy: _And see the world in an endless sleep_.

"They're not dead," I said as I looked around the park at how people were lying on the ground. They were still moving, just slightly, as they breathed deeply. "Kronos has found some way to put all of Manhattan to sleep. The invasion has started."


	31. Bribery Always Works

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, series, movies or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **On this, the eve of the release of Mark of Athena, I decided I will post another chapter! I'm also going to post another chapter tomorrow, just because it's the release and I'll be running to the book store to buy it :) So this chapter is longer, but a lot is from the book. I promise everything gets more interesting as it goes, so just hang tight! I appreciate all the reviews I'm sure you guys will give me ;)

**Chapter Thirty-One  
Bribery Always Works**

We all gathered outside the lobby to decide what our plan of action would be. Annabeth got a bronze shield from Argus before sending him back to camp to try to defend it. She showed everyone the bronze video shield she and Beckendorf had made from one of Daedalus' ideas. It could show the user any place in the entire world, like there were video cameras set up everywhere.

I whistled and called Mrs. O'Leary over, telling her to find Grover. She seemed to understand because she loped off, heading north.

"Percy," Annabeth said franticly, still watching the shield. "You'd better come see this."

The shield was showing the Long Island Sound, where a fleet of a dozen speedboats were racing through the dark water towards Manhattan. Each boat was packed with demigods in full Greek armor, carrying purple banners with black scythes emblazoned on them. I guessed that was Kronos' flag.

"Scan the perimeter of the island," I said and Annabeth shifted the scene south to the harbor. A Staten Island Ferry was speeding through the waves, packed with dracaenae and an entire pack of hellhounds. Telekhines swam in front of the boat. The scene shifted against to the Jersey Shore, right at the entrance of Lincoln Tunnel where a hundred assorted monsters marched past lanes of traffic. There were giants with clubs, rogue Cyclops, dragons and even a WWII-era Sherman tank. "Is the whole state asleep?"

Annabeth shook her head. "There are a lot of minor gods at work here. Morpheus must be the one putting everyone to sleep, but if you look at the Jersey highway, everyone's going as slow as a snail. That would be Kronos."

"Hecate might be helping too," Katie Gardner added. "Look, it's like everyone's getting some subconscious message to turn around. Seems like magic to me."

"Either way, Manhattan is surrounded by magic. The outside world probably doesn't realize anything wrong because any mortals coming towards Manhattan slow down or fall asleep," Annabeth explained.

"Alright," I said, once I realized that there was no way we could get outside help. "We're going to hold Manhattan."

Silena tugged at her armor. "Manhattan is huge, Percy."

"We are going to hold it because we have to," I said firmly.

Annabeth nodded her agreement. "The wind gods are keeping Kronos' forces away from Olympus by air, which means they'll try a ground assault. We have to cut off all entrances to the island."

"They also have boats," Lee pointed out.

I remembered Athena's advice. "I've got that covered. What we need to focus on is guarding all the bridges and tunnels. Let's assume they'll attack from midtown or downtown, at least on their first try. It's the most direct way to the Empire State Building. Lee, take the Apollo cabin to the Williamsburg Bridge. Katie, Demeter's cabin will take the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. Grow thorn bushes and poison ivy in the tunnel. Do whatever you have to do to keep them out. Connor, take half of the Hermes cabin to cover the Manhattan Bridge. Travis, you take the other half and cover the Brooklyn Bridge. And let me remind you that there is no time to stop for looting and pillaging!"

The Hermes cabin made their unhappiness very clear.

"Silena, the Aphrodite cabin can take the Queens-Midtown Tunnel," I said, immediately stopping their plans of stopping in at Givenchy on their way. "Jake, take the Hephaestus cabin to Holland Tunnel. Use Greek fire, set traps. Whatever it takes." The Hephaestus cabin was happy for the chance to avenge the death of Beckendorf. "The 59th Street Bridge..." I was planning on assigning that to the Ares cabin, but Clarisse and her siblings had held true to their word about not helping us.

"We'll take it," Annabeth volunteered, saving me from the embarrassing silence. "Malcolm, take the Athena cabin, activate plan twenty-three along the way, just like I showed you. Hold your position once you're there."

"Got it," Malcolm replied, saluting his sister.

"I'll go with Percy and then we'll join you or go wherever else we're needed," Annabeth said.

"Keep in touch with cell phones," I said. "You all know Annabeth's number, so pick up a random cell phone, call us and then drop it. It'll make it harder for you to be tracked."

"Hold it, Percy," Lee said. "You forgot Lincoln Tunnel."

I cursed out loud. How could I have forgotten the Sherman tank and army of a hundred monsters coming through there? "We got it," a girl's voice said from across the street. I looked over and saw a group of about thirty adolescent girls following a girl with spiky black hair, a black leather jacket, and a silver circlet in her hair.

"Thalia!" Annabeth shouted happily, running over to hug the daughter of Zeus. Weird. Thalia was technically Andee's aunt. Really weird.

"The Hunters of Artemis, reporting for duty," Thalia said as everyone exchanged hugs. The other girls really didn't like boys, but seeing as they didn't shoot any of us, I took it as a warm welcome.

"After this is all over, we're all going for cheeseburgers and fries," Thalia said, grinning. "Don't forget to bring that girlfriend of yours - I've been looking forward to meeting my niece...or cousin...or whatever we're going to call her."

I smiled. Thalia was good at getting people's spirits up. It probably explained why she was made Artemis' lieutenant.

"Thanks," I said.

She shrugged. "Those monsters are going to be crying for their mommies when we're done wit them. Hunters, move out!" She slapped her bracelet and her shield Aegis appeared.

We didn't have long to get everything sorted and to start defending the city. As I looked around, all of the campers looked grim but determined. Time for a pep talk. "You're the greatest heroes of this millennium and it doesn't matter how many monsters come at you. Fight bravely, fight with pride and determination, fight for those we've lost and we will win." I raised Riptide into the air and shouted, "FOR OLYMPUS!"

They shouted with me and our voices echoed together. Everyone went off to their posts which left Annabeth and I to try to find out way to the rivers. Some guy was slumped on his vespa and I figured with the bumper to bumper traffic, that would be the best way to get around. Annabeth and I carried him off to safety before getting on and speeding away. Having to maneuver around all of the sleeping pedestrians made our progress slow because we didn't want to run over them. Just as we were passing Madison Square Park, Annabeth made me pull over. She jumped off the Vespa and ran over to the status of a guy that looked like Abraham Lincoln.

"Who's that?"

"William H. Seward," Annabeth shouted back at me. "He was a New York governor and a minor demigod son of Hebe." She stopped and pressed the top of his boot. "Command sequence: Daedalus Twenty-three. Defend Manhattan. Begin activation."

That statue came to life, jumping off his pedestal and went running off to the east. Automatons?" I asked as she climbed back on the Vespa.

"Mhmm," she said. "They'll keep waking each other up until they've all been activated, and then they'll hopefully defend Manhattan."

That didn't seem too promising, but we had already reached Battery Park where the Hudson and East Rivers came together to empty into the bay.

"Wait here," I told Annabeth. "This shouldn't take long."

She looked hesitant but let me go anyways. I still hadn't told anyone about the curse of Achilles. It just wasn't the right time. Well, I guess right now there was never a good time. I would tell her soon though.

I waded into the water, and as soon as I got deep enough to swim, I took off. This water could probably make you have mutant children or give you extra body parts. Definitely not a place you wanted to swim. Unfortunately, these seemed to be the only kinds of places I was swimming today.

I tried to find a place right between the two currents before shouting, "HEY! I heard you guys are so polluted you're embarrassed to show your faces. Is that true?" A cold current rushed by me. I needed to get meaner. "I heard the East River is more toxic, but the Hudson smells worse. Or is it the other way?"

I knew that these were New York river gods, so they wouldn't attack me. They'd rather get up in my face. Two giant forms began to appear in front of me, growing arms, legs and scowling faces. The one on the left looked a bit like a telekhine with a wolfish face. The one on the right was more human but dressed in rags and seaweed.

Even as the river gods tried to offend me, they just ended up insulting each other. As they floated towards each other, ready to start a fight, I decided now was a great time to step in. "Hold on, we've got a bigger problem here."

"The kid's right. Let's both kill him and _then_ fight each other," East said.

"Sounds good," Hudson replied. I was expecting this so I quickly put up a shield as they threw broken glass, rocks and even tires at me. They glanced at each other before staring at me.

"Son of Poseidon?"

"Yup."

"Took a dip in the Styx?"

"Yup."

They both looked disgusted. "Well how do we kill him now?"

"Will you listen to me?" I demanded. "Kronos' army is invading Manhattan and you need to stop them. Drown them, sink their boats, whatever it takes. I can pay you."

Those were the key words because now I had their full, undivided attention. They started arguing over the sand dollar I pulled out, making what they must've thought were the most lucrative offers.

"We'll compromise," I said loudly. I broke the sand dollar in half and a ripple of clean water spread from the break. "You each get half and in exchange, you keep all of Kronos' forces away."

The two river gods looked at each other before saying, "It's a deal." I gave them their half and they immediately started sinking enemy ships as I made my way back to the surface, ignoring their comments about how the curse of Achilles won't actually save someone. When I saw Annabeth, she was talking on the phone, her eyebrows furrowed.

"The rivers are protected," I said.

"Good because we've got more problems. Lee just called and there's another army marching over the Williamsburg Bridge. The Apollo cabin needs help, and Percy, the monster leading the enemy is the Minotaur."

"Just what I needed," I commented sarcastically. I did my best whistle and luckily, Blackjack answered with one of his friends. I told him we needed to get to Williamsburg Bridge and he agreed, confirming that it was a mess. On our way to the bridge, it felt like there was lead sitting in the pit of my stomach. The Minotaur was the same monster that had almost killed my mom when I first went to camp. I was hoping he'd be dead for a few centuries, but we all know what my luck is like.

It was well after midnight, which meant I had been up for a good twenty-four hours now. I knew it probably wasn't good to go into battle without any sleep, but my adrenaline was going like crazy so I knew I wouldn't crash until later.

The bridge was lit up with cars on fire, and flaming arrows and spears flying through the air. The Apollo campers were retreating to hide behind cars and snipe at the approaching armor.

"There!" Annabeth said, pointing to the middle of the invaders. There was the stupid Minotaur, although he had put a lot more thought into his clothes today because instead of just wearing his tightie whities, he was in full Greek armor. He seemed to know I was there because he started bellowing at the top of his lungs, picked up a limo and threw it at us.

"Blackjack, dive!" I ordered as Annabeth and Porkpie veered to the left. Blackjack tucked in his wings and plummeted downwards and we narrowly avoided getting hit by the limo. "Drop us behind the lines with the Apollo cabin. Then say in earshot but get out of the line of fire."

_No problem, boss_.

As soon as our pegasi's hooves touched the pavement, we were off and fighting alongside the Apollo cabin. I landed beside Michael Yew, and his ferrety face was covered in soot.

"How nice of you to join us," Lee called over sarcastically. "Where are the other reinforcements?"

Annabeth and I looked at each other for a moment. "We're it."

"Then we're as good as dead," Michael said. "Ares cabin still isn't coming. We told Clarisse she could have the flying chariot but by then we had 'offended her honor'."

"Thanks for trying," I said.

"Probably didn't help that I called for some nasty names when she still wouldn't fight. Watch out everyone, here come the uglies!"

He launched an arrow and when it landed, it let out a horribly loud noise like an electric guitar hooked up to the world's loudest speakers.

"That was my last sonic arrow," Michael said. "If Andee were here...well, we probably would have driven them back already."

I grimaced.

"We need to fall back," Lee ordered, making the signal for those who weren't in hearing distance. "Austin and Ryan are setting traps farther down the bridge."

"No," I said. "Bring your campers forward to this position and wait for my signal. We're going to drive the enemy back to Brooklyn."

Lee laughed. "And just how do you plan to do that?"

"I've got the curse of Achilles," I said, drawing my sword. "I'll explain more later. I need you three to coordinate the defensive line while I distract the monsters. You group up here and move the sleeping mortals out of the way. Then start killing off monsters while I keep them focused on me. If anybody can do all that, it's you guys."

Even with the curse of Achilles, they all looked at me like I was suicidal. I wasn't. I just knew there wouldn't be much point to any of this if we all died.

I walked right down the middle of the bridge, straight towards the enemy army. "Hey, didn't I kill you already?" I called to the monster. That seemed to piss him off. Monsters came flying at me, and every time I sliced them with my sword and they disintegrated. They kept coming in waves but with one roar from the Minotaur, they backed off. If he wanted to fight me one-on-one, that's how it would be.

When I saw that he had the beaded necklaces of Camp Half-Blood campers he'd defeated around the base of his axe, I was furious. I dodged his swing and sliced is axe in half. I spun and kicked him in the snout and he staggered backwards. I brought my sword down, cutting off both his horns. His rage only made him careless, and what he thought was me running away was me tricking him into charging me. He did, and that ended up with his own axe being stuck into his chest. I threw him over the side of the bridge.

The monsters stared at me in shocked silence. I decided that my odds, as bad as they were, weren't worth losing my home to. So I charged. The Apollo cabin started shooting arrows to stop the enemy from rallying and by the time they finally gained their smarts and ran away, there were only about twenty of them left.

"Pull back, we've overextended," Annabeth said. I knew she was right, but I wanted everyone last one of these monsters to die. The monsters started returning to their back-up - a small group of thirty or forty demigods in battle armor - led by a horseman who trotted forward, showing off his molten gold eyes.

"Yup, sounds like a plan," I said, but the horseman's men were on me. "Retreat!" I told my friends. "I can hold them."

I tried to only wound his men because they weren't monsters - they were demigods led astray. I couldn't see their faces under their helmets, but I knew some of them had probably been my friends. In a moment of distraction, I heard Annabeth cry out in pain. I knew in an instant what had happened. A demigod stood over her, and I knew he had tried to stab me. In a moment of pure luck, he had aimed for the small of my back. When I looked at the demigod closer, I saw that it was Ethan.

"Get back!" I roared, slicing the air with my sword and driving the enemy demigods away from Annabeth. "No one touches her!"

"Interesting," Kronos said, towering over me on his skeletal horse, keeping a tight grip on his scythe. "You have fought bravely, Percy Jackson, but it is time to surrender unless you want the girl to die."

Annabeth moaned a little, which I guessed to mean, "Don't surrender to him".

"Blackjack!" I yelled, and faster than anyone could see, Blackjack swooped in and grabbed Annabeth by the straps of her armor, flying away with her before anyone could harm her.

Kronos swung his scythe at me and I met it with Riptide. The impact shook the ground, which made Kronos smile as he observed me like a lab rat. "So you visited the River Styx, I see. If only you had been the one to supply me with my host body...but no matter. I will always be more powerful. I am a _titan_."

He struck the bridge with Backbiter and a wave of pure force sent me flying backwards. I took this as our cue to run for it, and as I started running with the rest of the campers, I saw huge cracks in the pavement. I got an idea and could only hope that it would work. I took out Riptide and stabbed it into the bridge, pushing it all the way down to its hilt. When I pulled Riptide back, the cracks started turning into fissures and the bridge began to shake and crumble.

"Hurry!" I yelled to my group of campers as we ran to safety. When I turned around, a fifty-foot gap stood between Kronos and us on the Williamsburg Bridge. The suspension cables were still in tact, but I doubted any of his men were brave enough to use them to get across. Kronos simply smiled before raising his sword in a mock salute. "Until this evening, Percy Jackson."

That didn't bode well. I didn't have much time to think about it when Silena came running up to me, her eyes swollen and pink like she'd been crying. "Percy, we need a healer from the Apollo cabin at the Plaza Hotel. Annabeth's not doing well."


	32. Surprise

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, series, movies, or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! So here is the chapter I promised to celebrate the official release date of Mark of Athena! To address one of the reviews, I don't get how you think Percy is weak, but maybe he just seems like it right now. The love of his life was kidnapped. That would make the strongest people weak. Trust me, he is really strong, and you'll see it even more as it goes on. Thanks for all the reviews I know you're all dying to write ;)

**Chapter Thirty-Two  
Surprise**

I grabbed Will Solace, Michael Yew and Lee Fletcher and after finding some nearby motorbikes, we raced towards the Plaza Hotel. How lucky was it that Andee had kind of taught me how to drive one this summer while we were in Greece?

It took us only five minutes to reach the Plaza, a huge old-fashioned hotel made of white stone and that had a gabled blue roof. I had never been in the hotel before, but as I ran through the lobby, I noticed the crystal chandeliers and passed out rich people in suits and fancy dresses.

A couple of Hunters gave us directions to the elevators, where we rode up to the top floors. Apparently the campers had taken over the top floors as our headquarters away from Olympus. I was relieved to see so many of my friends had made it through the night alive, even if they were pretty beat up.

"Where's Annabeth?" I asked before anyone could say anything else.

"On the terrace," Jake said, glancing over his shoulder nervously and turning a shade paler. "She's still alive, but..."

I pushed past Jake and ran onto the terrace, noticing for the first time that it was already morning. The sky was blue and clear. Annabeth didn't look nearly as cheerful and bright as the sky. Her face was extremely pale and beaded with sweat. She was swaddled in blankets, but she still shivered like it was snowing outside. Will and Lee unwrapped Annabeth's blankets a bit to show the wound, which looked deep and was a horrid shade of green.

"Annabeth..."

"There was poison on the dagger," she said, her voice quiet. "Pretty stupid, huh?"

Will examined the cut closer. "It's not as bad as it looks, Annabeth. If we'd gotten here a few minutes later, maybe, but the venom hasn't gotten very far yet. Just lie still and somebody hand me some nectar."

Lee sat next to Annabeth and held her hand. I swore I saw something a little more than friendliness in the gesture. "Wait, are you two -"

"Shut up, Seaweed Brain and get Andee's bag from the closet," Annabeth mumbled, making a motion like she was going to hit me. I stood up and headed over just as Will started pouring nectar into the wound. The black bag was sitting in the closet just like Annabeth had said and I stared at it for a moment, remembering that Andee had send it back to camp before we went on the boat. Like she knew...like she knew what was going to happen.

I rushed back out to the terrace, dropping the bag in front of Lee. He immediately reached in and pulled out a small kit I hadn't seen before. He unzipped it and inside was a small tub of silver paste, as well as several needles full of dark red blood.

"What are those for?" I asked as Lee took one out and started injecting it into Annabeth's arm.

"It's Andee's blood," Will said as Lee started rubbing silver paste over the wound and singing a hymn to Apollo in Ancient Greek. "She's a universal donor and her blood has regenerative properties. When it's injected in someone else, it can cure whatever is ailing them. It can save lives."

I watched the wound close over as we spoke. It was amazing what the Apollo campers were capable of. "She's healed me before and she never gave me her blood," I said.

"She hardly ever needs to use it," Lee said. "Usually she can heal with just a touch, but the blood takes less of a toll on her."

"Speaking of Andee," I said, deciding that now was as good a time as ever to bring it up. "She knew what was going to happen on the boat, didn't she?"

Annabeth looked to Lee before the two of them nodded. "She didn't want to tell you because she knew you'd try to stop it from happening," Annabeth said. "Percy, she really loves you but she knows just as well as you do that you can't change fate. No matter what you had done to try to protect her, there was no way she was getting off that boat."

I let that sink in a bit. I had known something was off with Andee that night, but I hadn't thought she was hiding something so important. Even though every part of me screamed that I could have and should have protected her, but the logical part of me (yes, I had a logical part) reminded me that Annabeth was right. Once the Fates made a decision, it stuck.

"I'm sorry," Annabeth said quietly. "She made me promise." I nodded to show I understood. Andee was stubborn, and she would have known if someone had told me ahead of time. And she would have been pissed. She looked up at Will and Lee and the two of them got up to leave, Lee giving Annabeth's hand a quick squeeze. "There's something else I need to tell you, Percy."

"You should rest," I said. "Unless it's about you and Lee, and then I want to know. I need an excuse to kick his ass."

She gave me a warning look. "Shut up, Seaweed Brain. We're not dating or anything, we've just gotten close over the years." She paused for a moment. "I want you to know why Hermes is mad at me. It's been bothering me for a long time."

"Annabeth -"

"Just listen. Last year, before the maze, Luke came to see me while I was staying Andee's," she said softly. "He came under a flag of truce in the middle of the night, saying that we only had five minutes to talk and he looked so scared. He told me that Kronos was using him as a stepping stone to take over the world. He wanted me to run away with him, like the old days, but how could I trust him? So many things had changed, but I can't help but feel that if I had done something, maybe none of this would have happened. I had a knife and he was unarmed..."

"And what would you have done, killed him?" I asked Annabeth. "We both know you could never do that."

"But the way he used the phrase 'stepping stone'...I think Luke's body may only be a transitional phase. What if Kronos is planning to become even more powerful? I could have stopped him."

"What did Andee do when this was happening?"

"She never knew," Annabeth said. "Luke waited until he was sure she was asleep before approaching me. When Andee noticed I had left, she tried asking me about it, but I've learned how to work around her lie-detector abilities."

Connor Stoll rushed back into the room. "Percy, Mrs. O'Leary's just got back with Grover. You should probably go talk to him."

I looked at Annabeth and she shooed me on, assuring me that she'd be fine, that she could already feel the poison leaving her system. When I walked into the living room, Grover was lounging on the couch in full Greek armor and with his reed pipes hanging at his side. Unfortunately, 'lounging' on the couch happened to mean that Grover was eating it.

"You okay? How's Annabeth?" Grover asked as soon as he saw me.

"I'm fine, and Annabeth is healing," I told him and he breathed a sigh of relief. He gave me his report about getting as many nature spirits to help, but that they had already lost about twenty satyrs to a squad of giants before river spirits drowned them. He also mentioned a large, powerful titan in golden armor. Just another problem to add to the list. Thalia came in while Grover was talking and informed me that all the subway entrances were blocked off, and that there were gods who wanted to be there to help them fight, but Zeus wouldn't let them leave his side.

Then Jake mentioned how every time we did something, Kronos was able to attack us at our weak spots. A few people wanted to frisk everyone to see who had the scythe charm, but I told them to just ignore it. As long as we kept fighting as hard as we were, the spy didn't matter. It was no use to turn on each other now.

So after organizing a sentry duty schedule, I ordered all the others to rest while they could. Thalia ordered the same thing of me, insisting they needed me in good shape for the fight this evening.

I was so exhausted from everything that I didn't bother arguing. I found the nearest bedroom and crawled under the covers. As soon as I closed my eyes, I was out. And of course, being a half-blood, I couldn't just sleep. No, I had to have a stupid vision.

The vision showed much younger versions of Bianca and Nico di Angelo playing in a hotel lobby. A woman who looked like she was straight out of a 1940's movie and an oily-haired man in a pinstripe suit sat a few feet away, watching the children play. I figured the couple was Hades and Maria di Angelo, the mother of the di Angelo siblings. They were discussing a war in Europe that was turning Poseidon and Zeus against Hades, and that Zeus would not let his children live to see seventeen because of the Prophecy.

Hades suggested another option, a place where time stood still and for awhile, they could hide the children there while Hades brought Maria to the Underworld. Maria left for a moment to grab her purse and then as if sensing something, Hades was up on his feet, erecting a black stone wall around the children, unable to reach Maria in time before the hotel exploded. Hades was furious and he knew exactly who'd done it - Zeus. He ordered Alecto - aka Mrs. Dodds - to take Nico and Bianca and wash their memories clean in the River Lethe before taking them to the Lotus Hotel.

A woman appeared with short black hair and a rainbow dress. With a shock, I realized this was the Oracle. Hades was really pissed off at her, blaming her for what had happened before cursing her so that as long as his children lived outcasts, the Oracle would never have another mortal host.

The scene changed to show one of my good friends, Rachel Dare, walking along the beach. I remember when I last talked to her that she had said something about going on vacation with her dad and his girlfriend to their villa in the Caribbean. She stopped and started writing in the sand and after a moment, I realized she had written in Ancient Greek and had spelled my name.

Something sparked in her mind because she went running back into the house, demanding that her father take her back to New York because I was in trouble. Her father didn't seem to believe her no matter what she said, so she promised him that if he got her to New York right now, she'd go to Clarion's Ladies Academy in the fall. That was huge for Rachel because it was something she had been refusing for years now. Her dad realized that too because he started organizing a jet to take them back.

I woke up and despite the half-blood dreams, I did feel a lot more rested. However, when I saw Thalia standing in the doorway, I knew there was trouble. "A titan wants to see you under a flag of truce with a message from Kronos."

"What time is it?" I asked, looking around.

"Late afternoon," Thalia said. "Now come on, we need to go meet this guy."

The huge white flag was the first thing I saw, seeing as it was as big as a football field. That being said, it was also being carried by a thirty-foot-tall giant with bright blue skin and white hair.

"Wait, are the Na'vi real?" I asked, looking at Thalia.

"What?" she asked.

"The blue cat-people things from Avatar."

"What's Avatar?"

"A really long movie directed by James Cameron."

"Oh. Well, those are Hyperboreans. It's probably where they got the idea for the movie, though. They're giants of the North and there's a particularly large colony in Alberta. They're usually peaceful but if they're siding with Kronos, it's bad news for us."

As they got closer, I saw the giant had a half-blood in armor, an empousa in a black dress, and a tall man in a tuxedo with her. The empousa held the man's arm like they were going to go watch a musical or something. Grover appeared beside me. "Is that the titan?" I asked.

Grover nodded. He looks like a magician. I _hate_ magicians. They usually have rabbits."

"You're afraid of bunnies?" I asked, staring at my friend.

Grover blushed as the three of us began to walk towards the park where they were apparently going to meet us. As our two groups grew closer, I saw that the man was seven feet tall, had black hair tied in a ponytail and had scratched all over his face like he'd been attacked by a squirrel. Or maybe a bunny. You know how vicious those bunnies can be (Grover just informed me that I'm a horrible person).

I also noticed that the demigod accompanying the titan was Ethan Nakamura. I hadn't recognized him in his new helmet, but he still had quite angry-looking marks from our fight. That made me feel a lot better.

"I am Prometheus," the tux dude said before I could comment on Ethan's appearance.

I remembered him from the stories. He stole fire from the gods and then gave it to humans. As punishment, Zeus chained him to a rock where vultures would attack him for all eternity.

"How did you get free?" I asked.

"Hercules did that for me eons ago, hence why I have such a soft spot for heroes like yourself. Please, let us sit." He motioned to the picnic table and Thalia, Grover and I sat across from him. The Hyperborean, empousa and Ethan went over to the park bench a few feet away. "Your position is weak, Percy. There is no way your forces can take another assault."

"We'll see about that."

"I'm the titan of forethought. I can see what is going to happen."

"You're also the titan of crafty council, 'crafty' being the key word," Grover mentioned.

"True enough, satyr, but I was on the side of the gods in the last war. I told Kronos he couldn't win, and alas, I was right. I know how to pick the winning side and this time around, I'm backing Kronos." I gave him a knowing look. "Yes, Percy, partly for revenge but mostly because it is the wisest choice. I'm here because I hoped you might listen to reason." Prometheus paused, drawing a map on the table with his finger, golden lines appearing everywhere his finger touched. "We have armies here, here and here. We outnumber your forces twenty to one."

"Glad to know the spy is keeping you posted," I said darkly.

Prometheus grimaced. "Our forces are growing daily and tonight, Kronos will attack. Kronos has even acquired a secret weapon of sorts. I can guarantee that none of your own forces will be able to defeat it - he has made sure of that. You have fought bravely, but there is no way you can hold Manhattan. You will be forced to retreat to the Empire State Building and there you will be destroyed. I have seen it."

"I'm not one for letting the future play out as others want to," I told him.

"Understood, but you must realize this is the Trojan War all over again. Patterns repeat over history, Percy. Surely you of all people know that."

He was referring to my relationship with Andee. I could have punched him in the face.

"If you stand down, Percy, your forces and New York will be spared. I will personally make sure you are safe. Who cares if Kronos takes Olympus? Typhon will destroy the gods anyways."

"Yeah, like I really believe Kronos will spare the city," I said doubtfully.

"He only wants Olympus. The gods' power is tied to their seats in Olympus and once those are destroyed - poof!" Prometheus said, making an exploding gesture with his hands. "Kronos has attacks planned every night until Typhon arrives, which is the day after tomorrow. After that, Olympus and the gods will be destroyed. It does not matter what you do because the Titans will rule once more."

"I serve Lady Artemis and the Hunters will fight to our last breath," Thalia snapped, glaring at the titan.

"Your courage does you credit, Thalia Grace."

"That is my mother's surname, not mine," Thalia hissed.

"At any rate, we need not be enemies. I have come on a diplomatic mission. I have a gift for you." He made a jar appear and my stomach filled with fear. "This used to belong to my sister-in-law, Pandora."

"As in Pandora's box."

Prometheus grinned. "Mortals have gotten it mixed up over the centuries, but I guess Pandora's pithos doesn't have the same ring to it, does it? This jar released all the demons and evil into the world. Another part the mortals have gotten mixed up is the intention of the jar. It was a trap set upon my entire family by Zeus. He knew Pandora would open it and punish the entire human race along with us."

I thought of the di Angelos, how Zeus had been so willing to destroy an entire hotel just to kill two children who might've been children of a prophecy he was scared of. I thought of Andee, being threatened by her own family with death unless she could get her powers under control by the time she was ten. And then there was Luke, who felt like he'd been abandoned by his father Hermes.

"But do you know what's left?" Prometheus asked.

"Hope."

"Yes. Elpis, the Spirit of Hope, refused to abandon humanity, but cannot leave without the permission of a child of man. I give you this to remind you what the gods are truly like. If you let Elpis go, I will take that as a sign of surrender. I promise Kronos will spare the survivors."

"I don't want it."

"Too late, Mr. Jackson, the gift has been given. We will see each other soon," Prometheus said, and just like that, his entire party had walked out of the park.

Thalia, Grover and I walked back to the hotel in silence. As we were about to go into the makeshift headquarters, Thalia touched my arm, sending a small electrical wave through me. "Percy, you should get more rest while we have the time. You're running on nothing and there's no telling when you'll get another chance like this," Thalia said. I knew she was right, and that she wouldn't let me argue.

"Can you lock this in the hotel vault then? I'm pretty sure I'm allergic to pithos."

Thalia smiled and took the jar from me. "Of course. But if you're not sleeping..."

"I'll sleep, I promise," I said, finding the nearest bed and closing my eyes. Would you be surprised if I said I had another half-blood dream? Because I wasn't surprised when it happened.

The first dream showed Poseidon's palace and the attacking armies had gotten closer, and the fortress walls were completely destroyed now. It focused on the armory where Tyson and the other Cyclopes were on break, eating from giant jars of peanut butter. A Cyclops warrior stumbled inside, but as soon as he landed on the lunch table, he dissolved into sea silt. Tyson picked up his brethren's club and shouted "For Poseidon!" but with a mouth full of peanut butter, it sounded like his battle cry was for peanut butter instead.

The scene shifted to show Ethan Nakamura at the enemy camp. I shuddered a little when I saw they were using Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium. There were many, many tents and campfires set up, and Prometheus walked up to Ethan and said, "The master would like to speak with you."

The other demigods with Ethan looked as if Ethan was going off to his death. They were probably right. In the snack bar area, the picnic tables had been moved aside to make room for two golden thrones. Kronos lounged in the one on the left, his scythe lying across his lap. Ethan kept glancing at the other throne nervously. "So Nakamura, how do you think the diplomatic mission went?"

Ethan started to try to get him to talk to Prometheus instead, but Kronos refused. Ethan told him that he didn't think I would ever surrender, which was true. Then Kronos asked him about what happened on the Williamsburg Bridge, trying to figure out where Ethan was aiming. Somehow Ethan had known where my mortal spot was, but he wasn't about to admit it to Kronos, which just pissed the titan off. Just as he was about to threaten Ethan, he froze and spoke like Luke. Kronos came back in an instant and refused to admit that had happened. He told Ethan that if he ever repeated that 'lie' to anyone else, he'd cut off his tongue.

"You!" Kronos said, pointing to one of the dracaenae. "Queen Sess, is it?"

"Yessss, my masssster," the snake-lady said.

"Is our little surprise ready to be unleashed?" Kronos asked.

The reptilian woman smiled evilly. "Yesss, my lord. And what a lovely ssssurprisssse it iss."

It was Kronos' turn to smile. "Excellent. Tell her that we're moving our main source to the Manhattan Bridge. The half-blood will be in such disarray that they won't be able to defend themselves."

The scene switched once more to show May Castellan standing with Hermes and Chiron at the Big House. After listening to the conversation between them, I realized why May was the way she was. Because she could see through the Mist, she had tried to become the Oracle and it had failed, leaving her...insane.

I jolted awake to see Annabeth in full armor, sitting in a chair at the other side of the room. The color had returned to her face and she looked good as new. "You look a lot better."

"Thanks," Annabeth said, stretching her previously injured arm a little. "How are you feeling?"

"Alright," I said.

"Good, because we need to start assembling everyone. There's an army -"

"- heading to the Manhattan Bridge, I know," I said, getting out of the bed and instinctively reaching into my pocket for Riptide. As we made our way down to the bridge where the rest of the campers and Hunters were waiting. On the way there, I told Annabeth about the dreams I had, leaving out the parts about May Castellan and Ethan's thoughts on Luke fighting Kronos from the inside.

"Any ideas about what this surprise is that Kronos is talking about?" I asked.

Annabeth shook her head. "I didn't see anything in the shield, but he could easily be hiding it."

I nodded as we approached Thalia and the head counselors. "They're coming," Thalia said, notching a silver arrow and aiming it north. "One of my scouts just reported that they're almost here. The army's _huge_; there's no way to stop them."

"We'll hold them on the Brooklyn side," I decided. "You ready, Grover?" Grover nodded, but he still looked a bit pale as he got out his reed pipes. "Okay, so here is the plan," I said. The Apollo archers were going to stay farther behind the group with the Hunters, all of whom would take out as many monsters as they could from the distance. The rest of us would fight on the frontlines. We still had several campers and nature spirits staying at the other entrances into Manhattan, knowing that his use of an army this big could be a trick. So once we were all in position, we waited.

We didn't have to wait for long because a noise like a cannon erupted across the area. Then enemy vanguard led the way to the middle of the bridge, but strangely enough, there was no leader. What was this surprise that Kronos was planning for us?

"Positions!" Annabeth yelled. We wanted to make the enemy stop before they got anywhere near out side. The Hephaestus had managed to plant quite a few Greek fire traps along the middle and sides of the bridge, so that any movement by them would set them off. Greek fire erupted along the bridge, incinerating the first few lines of monsters, but it didn't stop them as well as we had planned.

The fire extinguished and the group continued to march forward, completely unfazed. Annabeth and I exchanged shocked looks. Especially when the leader finally came forward. I don't think any of us were ready for that, because emerging from the sea of monsters in front of us was Andee.


	33. How to Fight the Unfightable

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, series, movies, or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **Got a complaint that the last chapter was too like the books. My response? Boo hoo, I told you that was going to happen. I need some similarity in these last few chapters for it to make sense. But things are different. And actually, we're only 7 chapters away from the end. On the bright side, that means Drop in the Ocean starts after seven chapters and I've got so many plans for it! It's all from Andee's POV, like I've said before, except for a few chapters that are in Percy's. Lots of lovely stuff happens. By the way, do not ask me about Mark of Athena. I have not read it yet - I own it, I just haven't read it because I still have 6 large books out from the library I have to finish first. So I've read the first four chapters, but that is it. If you spoil it, I will hunt you down. Seriously. Anyways, enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review! There's enough of you following this story that you could review it ;)

**Chapter Thirty-Three  
How to Fight the Unfightable**

I didn't know what to do. I stood there frozen in place. She looked as beautiful as ever. Her blonde hair flowed out in curls and she wore a slinky black catsuit that showed off quite a bit of cleavage, and high-heeled boots. Her dagger was sheathed in a garter around her thigh and her bow and arrows were slung across her shoulders. When I saw that her eyes were golden and the jewel on her necklace was a sickly green, it forced me to remember that she wasn't Andee right now.

Kronos stepped forward from the group and Andee automatically wrapped her hand around the crook of his arm. I realized that the second throne in my vision had been for her, and that all along she'd been the secret weapon. No one had expected Kronos to deploy her in battle at all, especially not this soon. I guess he had gotten a lot farther into her mind than we had all thought.

I reached into my back pocket and realized I had forgotten the envelope she had given me. I had forgotten all about it because I was too upset about losing her. I could tell by the look in her eyes that there was no way I'd be able to give her whatever was inside the envelope without risking the lives of everyone here.

It killed me to see her with Kronos. It was unnatural and wrong. And the fact that she actually looked like she wanted to be with him...I felt like I was going to puke. "Surprised, Jackson?" I didn't answer Kronos, just glared at him.

"Andee..." Annabeth said softly, and I could see her grip loosening on her dagger.

"That's not Andee," I said firmly, even though it killed me. I watched as she moved her arms so that one was still holding Kronos', and the other moved to play with his hair. She watched my reaction, smirking. Kronos looked over at her and whispered something, making her laugh. "Go fight the other monsters - I've got this handled."

"Percy -"

"I can handle her," I said resolutely. Annabeth gave me one last wary look before running off to give the orders to the rest of the campers and Hunters. I charged forward, slicing into every monster that decided to get in my way. And trust me, there were a lot. I'm sure all of them were hoping to be the one to kill me. Kronos would sure honor them. Or kill them for doing it instead of letting him kill me.

I got a few feet away from Kronos and Andee, and Andee smiled a cruel smile that sent shivers down my spine. I had never seen any kind of cruelty or sadism expressed on Andee's face, but she was taking great joy in watching us fight for our lives.

She made a hand signal and another wave of monsters came charging towards me, blindly obeying their masters. I continued slicing through them, leaving piles of ash at my feet as I tried to get close to Andee. Even if I could disarm her or knock her out for a few moments, we could trap or her something and find a way to get her back to the Andee we knew.

It seemed like this was all a game to Andee. Every time I got within a few feet of her and Kronos, she would bring in another wave of monsters to fight me. And the more I fought, the more I could feel tiredness creeping up on the edges of subconscious. I may be near invincible and tire a lot less easier than everyone else, but fighting so many monsters, one after another, was taken its toll on me. I knew I could go for a few more rounds at the very least, but it would be touch-and-go from there, and I would need all my energy to fight Andee.

Finally Andee raised her hand in the air, signaling for the monsters to stop attacking me. That didn't mean they were going to stop attacking my friends, but they weren't coming at me anymore. Her freaky gold eyes met mine and she tilted her head slightly, like I was a fascinating little specimen under a microscope. After a few moments, she signaled me forward with a smile.

I knew how powerful Andee was. We practiced together. We fought together. I didn't underestimate her abilities at all. The gods wanted to kill her because she was so powerful, maybe just as powerful as or more powerful than some of them. And with none of her old emotions holding her back, I think its okay to admit that I was terrified.

I took a deep, grounding breath before charging her. She took a few steps in front of Kronos and continued to grin smugly at me. I was a few steps away from her when she put her hands in front of her and sent an extremely powerful volt of electricity towards me. It hit me square in the chest and I went stumbling back. If it wasn't for my new found invulnerability, I would be dead. That was something I was a little all too aware of.

"It saddens me that she was never taught her true potential before now," Kronos said, running a finger down Andee's cheek in what he must've thought was an 'intimate' gesture. "As you can see, Jackson, she's more powerful than anyone thought. She's even more powerful than _I_ expected. She'll make a great addition to the Titan rule, don't you agree?"

"I'll free her," I said as I tried to get back to my feet. Some force above me was holding me down.

Kronos laughed mirthlessly at me.

"Percy! We need to fall back!" Annabeth shouted. Didn't I know it? But as I looked up into Andee's golden eyes, I didn't think that was going to happen any time soon. I had to think of a plan, and I had to think fast. Then I got an idea.

I whistled as loud as I could and the ground started to shake. I smiled, ecstatic that it had worked as I scrambled to my feet and started backing up. Mrs. O'Leary came bounding towards me and I saw fear appear in Andee's eyes in an instant. Even if it wasn't really her inside there, there were still parts of her there. Like her fear of hellhounds.

Mrs. O'Leary stood in front of me, growling at her. She stumbled a few steps back and looked angry that she had shown such weakness. "Fall back!" she yelled, practically sprinting back to the horse Kronos and her had come in on. Kronos marched behind her, taking his time and ordering his forces to follow and cover them as they left.

I retreated with the rest of the campers, still shaken up from my first encounter with the new Andee. This was not going to be easy. If she wasn't brought back to who she really was, she was going to have to be killed if we wanted any chance of the world staying like it was. Getting close enough to actually kill her would be hard, but dealing with the guilt afterwards would be a lot worse.

When we all got back to the hotel, we started treating all the injured. More people were injured after this fight, so the Apollo campers were kept busy with healing. But those with minor injuries were freaking out because of Andee.

"Percy," Annabeth said gently, steering me towards the bedroom. "Sleep and get your energy back. We'll talk about it all later."

"We have to talk about it now and make a plan of attack," I argued.

"No," Annabeth said sternly. "That whole debacle was way too much for any of us to deal with right now. We're all going to sleep to let it sink in, and that means you should too."

I wanted to keep arguing with her because we really had lot of planning to do, but at that point, I was getting too upset to argue anymore. I didn't even get under the covers of the bed this time. I just crawled onto the bed and fell asleep, immediately plagued with a vision.

I was back in the 'throne room' at Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium, but this time, both of the thrones were occupied. Kronos sat in one, watching the spot in front of him carefully while Andee sat in the throne beside Kronos', leaning against the right arm of the chair.

Andee looked furious. She held a loose fist up to her mouth, the nail on her pinky finger lightly scraping her bottom lip. Her golden eyes were fixed on a small space on the wall.

Ethan Nakamura shuffled into the room, keeping his head down as he stopped in front of Kronos and Andee and bowed.

"Has your memory improved?" Kronos asked, staring Ethan down. Ethan shook his head. Andee's hand dropped but she didn't say anything. I knew that she could tell he was lying, but she wasn't saying anything. Maybe there really was a bit of Andee still in there. "No matter, soon. How is our next surprise coming along?"

"It's ready whenever you are."

"Wonderful," Kronos said. "Andromeda, go tell my brother, Hyperion, to move our main force south to Central Park." Andee immediately stood up and left the room, a sour look on her face, presumably to go do as she had been told. "Ethan, work on improving your memory. We will talk once more once I have taken Manhattan."

The vision stopped there and I jolted awake, leaping out of the bed to find Thalia and Annabeth waiting at the end of the bed. "There's an army heading to Central Park," I said and Annabeth grimaced. "By the way, who's Hyperion?"

"He's one of the Titans - besides Atlas, he's the best warrior. Back in the old days, he represented the East and Hyperion was the sun god before Helios," Annabeth said.

"Awesome," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. "So do you guys have any ideas as to what this next surprise could be?"

"As much as we probably don't want to know, we're going to have to be prepared for anything," Thalia said. "We can't have something like last time's surprise."

I nodded my agreement, taking out Riptide before we went to rally the troops. The head counselors were waiting for Annabeth and me at the Reservoir. Thalia went ahead with the Hunters to go see how far the army had gotten.

We briefed everyone, making sure we all knew what we needed to do. Grover and the nature spirits would do their best seeing as this was the perfect place for them to be on the offensive.

"They're coming," Thalia said, using an arrow to point north. "One of my scouts just told me that they've already crossed Harlem River and that there was no way to hold them back. Their army is huge."

I nodded, knowing that we had to hold them in Central Park. It was the only way. "The Athena cabin will make their stand here with the satyrs and nature spirits. So will me and...the Apollo cabin."

I knew how much it hurt her brothers to see Andee. I felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest every time I saw her with those golden eyes. If...well, if she had to be killed, I wanted them all to see her one last time, even if it wasn't really her. The main reason, however, was that they knew her better than anyone else. We needed to get her in our custody no matter what, because as long as Kronos had her, we stood no chance.

Her brothers knew exactly what I meant, and they nodded to me.

"Every other cabin, you have your assigned entrances to Manhattan. We can't let them in, no matter what. And we all know Kronos - he'll try to distract us with his main army while he sneaks in other forces somewhere else. That can't happen. Got it?" Everyone said their agreement. "Good hunting!"

As everyone headed to their specified position, I heard the enemy before I ever saw it. It sounded like a hundred bazookas being fired. The sound made my stomach turn nervously.

At the north end of the Reservoir, the enemy vanguard broke through the woods with a warrior in golden armor leading a battalion of Laistrygonian giants and hundreds of other monsters. I saw Andee at the far rear of the group, glaring at the back of Hyperion.

"Positions!" Annabeth shouted and all of the campers scrambled.

The plan was to make the enemy vanguard have to break off into tinier groups around the reservoir so that to get to us, they'd have to follow the trails in narrow columns on each side of the water. They would be much easier to fight and kill in such small groups and without the huge wall of protection they normally had.

Our plan seemed to work. As soon as they were halfway across the Reservoir, the path erupted in Greek fire, incinerating lines of monsters on impact, and sending many of the others flailing around in green flames.

I watched as the members of the Athena cabin threw grappling hooks at the largest of the giants and pulled them to the ground, engulfing them in flames as well. In the woods on the right, the Apollo cabin was firing arrows like crazy into the enemy lines, destroying line upon line of dracaenae. Even as fast as they were shooting them, more marched forward.

Grover raised his pipes and the other satyrs followed his lead, playing a quick tune that made everything in the forest come alive. Rocks, trees, bushes, vines - everything was attacking the monsters.

The enemy kept trudging forward, no matter how hard we attacked. Hyperion didn't split off into the side paths like everyone else did. He just walked on top of the water, heading straight towards me. Oh, so you can walk on water, Hyperion? Well guess what?

So can I.

"Keep the forces together while I handle this," I shouted to Annabeth before charging towards Hyperion. I noticed Andee walking on the water a few yards behind Hyperion, her arms crossed over her chest, and watching the two of us charging at each other like she was watching a boring movie in science class.

Hyperion's eyes were gold like Kronos', but much brighter, like he had mini suns in his eye sockets.

"You know, you Titans really aren't that bright," I commented.

"You want bright, I'll show you bright," Hyperion said, before igniting his body so that it was in blazing light and heat. I felt like my eyes were melting into goo but instinctually, I raised my sword, blocking Hyperion's blade just in the nick of time. The impact sent a ten foot wave of water right across the lake.

I reversed the wave and sent it crashing onto Hyperion, extinguishing his light, which just made him even more furious.

I happened to glance at the campers around me and saw Annabeth leading an assault with the Athena cabin while Grover and the nature spirits were on the left, regrouping and entangling their enemies in vines and poison ivy.

"How about we fight on land?" Hyperion said.

I was going to reply with something extremely clever like "no", but suddenly Hyperion sent me flying backwards, much like Kronos had done before. I really hated that Titans could do that.

He got back up and started igniting fires by his feet, probably to give him more strength like with me and water, but I kept dousing out every flame and dodging every blow. "Stop it! Stop that wind!"

Wind?

"How are you doing that, man?" Grover asked from my left. I had no idea what he was talking about until I looked around me and saw that I was standing in the middle of a hurricane. I willed myself to turn it up and suddenly there was thunder and lightning with it.

I used the hurricane to start pushing Hyperion off to the side. He needed to know exactly what we thought of the Titans.

"Percy! Bring Hyperion over here!" Grover called.

I didn't know what he had planned, but after knowing Grover for so long, I would trust him with my life. And right now, I trusted him with everyone's lives. I used my hurricane to push Hyperion off to the left, much against Hyperion's wishes, and the nature spirits started trapping him in a tree.

"You cannot imprison me! I am Hyperion! I am -"

He was trapped in a maple tree about twenty feet wide in diameter that looked like it had been there for centuries.

"A lovely maple tree," Grover finished for him.

"Yes!" I said, high-fiving Grover and the other nature spirits. Of course, then I heard a giant squeal like a pig. I looked up and saw a giant pink cow with wings that resembled a flamingo's come soaring down, barely missing hitting one of the Athena campers.

"What the hell is that?" I asked.

"It's the Clazmonian Sow - it terrorized Greek towns all the time back in ancient times," Annabeth said.

"So who beat it? Hercules?" I asked.

Annabeth grimaced. "As far as I know, no one has beaten it."

Perfect. Just perfect.

"Annabeth, take three of your siblings and go set the automatons on it. We need to focus all of our energy on this," I said, looking over to see Andee watching me with an evil grin.

Andee started walking forward, clapping her hands in a sarcastic way at me. "Congratulations! You're fighting a losing battle. How does that feel?"

"Wouldn't know," I said as I approached her. "I would apologize about Hyperion, but I'm not really sorry. He makes a great tree, though."

"No need to apologize for him - I never liked him anyways," Andee said. "At least this way, I get what's rightfully mine when this is all over."

"And what's that?"

"The sky."

That shocked me. Both her godly parent and godly grandparent were gods of the sky. Apollo, the god of the sun, and Zeus, the god of the sky. Hearing Andee say that she was going to take their territories from them.

She took my moment of shocked distraction as an opportunity and shot a bolt of electricity at my chest. Once again, I went stumbling back. I felt like my whole body had been shaken.

I really hated when she did that.

"The way people speak of you, I thought you'd be a lot more powerful," Andee said, walking over and towering over me, "but you're pathetic." I forced myself to get back to my feet and ignored the throbbing pain running through my entire body. "Let's face it, Jackson. You'll tire out long before I do. And besides, even though you're 'invulnerable', I can still kill you. You can't kill me, no matter where you stab me."

My body reminded me of the water all around me so I summoned it, feeling that familiar tugging in my navel. Water from the East River rose into the air, and just as it was about to come crashing down on Andee, she pushed her arms outwards and the water went spilling back into the river. There was no way Andee could control water. It was impossible, no matter who was controlling her mind and her actions.

"Nice try," Andee said condescendingly and suddenly she was flying up in the air. She came crashing down in front of me, and the impact barely affected her. She immediately began hand-to-hand combat with me, which meant my sword was pretty much useless. Some part of Andee had to be present because there was no way she would know it was one of my weaker points.

I retracted Riptide but kept it in my hands as I attempted to fight Andee. Even without her mind being controlled by a Titan, I was no match for her. But I blocked her blows as best as I could. I saw an opening and quickly unsheathed Riptide, the sword going right through her midsection. She just smiled and forced it out of her body, cutting her hands in the process. I could see the skin healing over the wounds quicker than ever. I didn't have s lot of time to think about it because she engaged me in combat again.

She was going full-out and I knew I didn't stand a chance. I was barely able to keep up with her - one swift move and I was out. I managed to grab her neck and get her into a headlock. She didn't show any attempt to struggle or get out until she shoved her elbow in my stomach, winding me. She flipped around and knocked my sword out of my hands before swiftly kicking me in the throat, which made it even more impossible to breathe as I fell to the ground.

She straddled my chest, holding down my arms with her knees. She raised one of her hands and made a squeezing motion. I suddenly felt all the oxygen in my lungs start to disappear. Little stars danced in my vision as she cut off all of my oxygen.

I thought of the times we had practiced fighting and she had gotten me in this exact position (minus the strangling) and told me to get out. I only wish it was that friendly now.

"Lord Kronos said that he wanted to be the one to kill you, but I don't think I'm going to be able to stop myself. It's just too much _fun_," Andee said, grinning maliciously as the invisible hand on my lungs tightened. I had to find a way to escape her grip on my lungs or I'd pass out and Kronos would have free reign. I'd be dead before I ever woke up again. I could see Riptide lying just inside the water a few feet away from us in my peripheral vision.

I had a sudden wild and crazy idea that I could only hope would work. If it didn't, I was as good as dead. I pushed myself forward and my lips connected with her. The distraction must have worked because the pressure she was putting on my knees loosened and I was able to quickly grab my sword and plunged it straight through her heart. I pulled away and she stared at me for a moment, my sword stuck in her chest, the wound bleeding heavily. She blinked a few times and her eyes turned back to the beautiful shade of green they were supposed to be. Then she promptly collapsed in my arms.


	34. The Athena Cabin Has All The Solutions

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, series, movies, or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! So decided to post another chapter. First off, to answer the one review I got, yes, Drop in the Ocean will be more or less following Heroes of Olympus. Two, this chapter is short, but all me, so a lot of you have said you like that a lot more, so voila! Hope you all enjoy and if you would like to help me with something, please PM me because I need all the help I can get. It just has nothing to do with these stories, my writing, or Fanfiction in general. So enjoy, and don't forget to review!

**Chapter Thirty-Four  
The Athena Cabin Has All The Solutions**

I expected to be charged, but instead, Kronos' troops started pulling back, making no attempt to get Andee back. I didn't dwell on it for long for scooping up Andee's unconscious form and started running backwards, keeping an eye on the enemy just to be sure that no one tried anything sudden.

The others looked at me and I roared, "GO!" That set all of my fellow campers in motion, helping anyone who was injured and rushing back to the Plaza. "Get the other groups watching the entrances to pull back as soon as they can. Something weird is going on but I think Andee has just bought us some more time."

Malcolm and Thalia nodded, instantly sprinting to go find the other groups and update them.

The Apollo campers beat me to the Plaza and were waiting in the hotel room before I had even reached the hotel. As soon as they saw Andee, they whisked her away behind locked doors to start trying to heal her. The other groups started trailing in one by one, asking what was going on. Annabeth told them to wait until everyone had gathered.

All of the campers gathered in the living room area, looking to me to tell them what was going on. "Kronos has been trying to invade Andee's mind for a long time now, and he was successful on the Princess Andromeda. He was using her as one of his secret weapons, but I think his plan went sideways. Andee fully intended to kill me and anyone else who got in her way, but I somehow managed to get her to remember who she really was. For someone reason, Kronos' troops pulled back. I don't know why, but we should be on full alert for another attack. It could happen any time now."

"How do we know Andee remembers who she is? She could be faking it," Jake Mason pointed out.

"She was given a necklace from her father when all of this started to show what state the wearer's soul is in. Also, her eyes were gold when she was under Kronos' control. Naturally, they're green, the same color they turned when I..." How could I tell everyone here that I had run my sword through Andee's heart?

Luckily, Lee came out of the room before I had to answer. He looked unusually pale and had dark circles under his eyes. Everyone turned to look at him and he ran a hand through his hair, blowing out a stream of air. "It's bad, _really_ bad, but she's going to live," Lee said as Annabeth and I approached him. "It's one thing to heal physical injuries but it's something completely different to heal someone's mind. It's gone. Everything...it's like a blank slate."

"So she won't remember anything?" I asked, my throat constricting. Every hope I had for getting Andee - _my_ Andee - back again were going down the tubes.

"If she were anyone else, she wouldn't. But because she's Andee, every part of her automatically heals. Our job is to make sure her mind heals properly, with all of her memories in tact," Lee said.

I looked past him at the door. It was the only thing keeping me from being with her right now. "Can I see her?"

Lee shook his head. "She's extremely fragile right now. One little distraction, anything that could wake her up, and she's gone. As in, back to the mind of a newborn baby."

It was scary that that was even a possibility. Even though we had her back, we may never see the old Andee again. "What if she makes a full recovery?"

Lee sighed, running his hand through his hair again. "Even if she makes a full recovery, all her control will be gone. It's a different kind of memory, not something done with her mind. She'll have to be kept under sedation until some sort of solution is found or she could and most likely will destroy everything and everyone."

That was why no one had been too considered when Andee had broken out of Kronos' spell. He had planned it all along. He knew that even if he lost her, she wouldn't be able to control her abilities. She could kill everyone here without ever meaning to. She was Kronos' version of a bomb.

"We'll figure something out," Annabeth assured both Lee and me. "I'll gather everyone from the Athena and Hephaestus cabin and we'll come up with something. There has to be something on Daedalus' laptop for a situation like this."

Annabeth rushed off to gather everyone to work on this task. "Thank you," Lee said suddenly, "for bringing her back. Even if you had to stab her to do it."

I nodded, not sure what else to do.

As everyone began to rest and work, I waited. I sat down right outside the door and watched as her brothers took separate shifts to heal her and make sure she would remember everything. It took hours and as tired as I felt, I stayed awake. I needed to know she was okay. I couldn't hear anything going on in the next room, only saw her brothers as they walked out every half hour or so, looking pale and sickly.

"We got it!" Annabeth shouted, running into the room holding a pair of golden bracelets. When she got closer, I saw that both bangle-style bracelets were inlaid with different precious stones and had different designs etched into them. Lee materialized next to me as Annabeth held out the two bracelets for us to look at. "Daedalus had a design for a pair of bracelets that could halt any minor god's abilities. We altered it so that it would only keep them under control and that the wearer could still use their powers without killing everyone. The Hephaestus cabin made the actual bracelets while the Athena cabin found and altered the spell."

"Why two?" I asked, looking at them.

"In Ancient Greek times, it was more common to wear two matching bracelets," Annabeth said. "For the spell to completely work, it has to be split between two apparatuses and both must be on the subject and locked in place for the magic to work. Otherwise -"

A huge blast of fire and electricity came from the room Andee was in. "- that," Annabeth said, looking wide-eyed at the door.

Will Solace came sprinting out of the room before yelling, "The sedative's worn off and she's coming to. Everyone get downstairs to the lobby - now!"

No one needed to be told twice. The campers were speeding out of the room, following Will's lead. The room was getting hotter with each passing second.

"There goes that plan," Lee said, staring at the ground dejectedly. "We'd better get downstairs."

"Wait," I said, looking back at the door. Smoke was starting to come out from the cracks between the door and the doorway. "I can get the bracelets on her."

"You may be mostly invulnerable, but even you can burn to death," Lee said. I guess he was right - if the small of my back got burnt, I couldn't fix that.

"I can't leave her," I said, taking the bracelets from Annabeth. "Get to safety and I'll get her under control."

Lee and Annabeth both looked wary, once again not fond of my plan, but nodded and jogged out of the room. I stared at the door for a few moments, watching flames licking the door and hearing thunder from inside the room. I took a deep breath and walked forward and started to open the door. "Get out of here!"

"Andee, it's me," I said over the booming thunder coming from inside the room.

"Percy, leave!" she said and as I opened the door, I could see her crying through the smog. "Please, Percy, please get out of here!"

"I'm not going anywhere without you," I said seriously. "Look at me." She shook her head, holding her face in her hands as she wept. This was the most intense heat I had ever felt in my life, and once again, I was immensely grateful to have the curse of Achilles, because otherwise I'd be dead. "Andee, look at me." Her pale green eyes met mine, and they were the greenest I had ever seen them. Like she had been completely purified. "You don't want to hurt me, do you?" She shook her head. "Then you have to try to control it, just for a few seconds."

"I can't," she cried. "Please Percy, just leave me. You'll die."

"I can't leave until you stop," I said calmly, inching my way forward and narrowly avoiding a bolt of lightning. "Just focus on me, 'kay?"

"I can't," she whispered. "It's too much."

"You've done it before, Andee. Focus," I said, and even though she was refusing to believe she could do it, the fires were getting milder and the storm above her was calming down.

I quickly clasped one bracelet on her wrist, locking it in place before doing the other. She watched carefully, still sniffling as the second was clamped shut and locked. In an instant, everything stopped. She looked around in shock for a moment and then stared at the bracelets for a few moments. She looked at me and after a few more minutes of stunned silence, she leapt towards me, wrapping her arms around me and holding me tightly as she started to cry again. At least this time it was tears of happiness.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered into her hair as I held her. "I'm so, so sorry."

"You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about," Andee said, wiping her eyes as she pulled back and looked at me. "You brought me back."

I cupped her face in my hands and took a few moments to just take in her face. "I love you so much, Andee le Fay, and I will never let anything happen to you ever again," I said before closing the distance between us once more, this time with my lips on hers. Her hands wound themselves in my hair as she brought me closer and I smiled. This was my Andee. My Andee was back and she was going to be alright.

Suddenly she reached down and lightly touched the small of my back. A shiver ran down my spine as she touched my one vulnerable spot and she pulled away to look at me. "What did you do, Percy?" she whispered her eyes intense as they gazed into mine.

"I had to do it - it's the only way I'll be able to beat Kronos," I said softly. "It was the only way I could get you back."

"You're so stupid," Andee said, punching me in the shoulder.

"Ow! I still feel pain, you know," I said.

"Good," Andee said, hitting me again. "Because maybe if I hit you enough, you'll realize how stupid you are!"

"Love you too, Andee," I said sarcastically and she gave me one of her infamous looks before kissing me.

"Are you guys done yet or can we actually come in and see Andee?" Will asked, a group of Apollo campers all standing around him. Andee was up on her feet in a second and running towards her brothers and hugging them. There were a lot more tears as she hugged her siblings, Annabeth, and the other campers she had grown close to in her time at Camp Half-Blood.

I couldn't stop smiling as I watched her, out of my mind with relief and happiness that she was back and safe. There would be no more of those terrible nightmares and no more worrying about her being taken because that part was over. He wouldn't take over her mind again.

Suddenly Andee's face changed. It went from happiness to sudden realization in five seconds flat. "I know what they're planning."


	35. Rachel Makes a Dramatic Entrance

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, series, movies, or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long between updates! I was in the middle of a singing competition (which ended up being rigged) so I was really busy, but here's a new chapter for you all! I hope you like it, and only 5 more chapters until Drop in the Ocean starts!

**Chapter Thirty-Five  
****Rachel Makes a Dramatic Entrance**

We gathered everyone in the main room as Andee started scribbling madly on a whiteboard we had managed to snag from one of the hotel's many conference rooms. Most of what she was writing didn't make any sense, and I was pretty sure almost none of it was in English, but I was sure that once Andee started talking, everything would become clear.

She popped the lid back onto the marker and looked at the board for a moment before letting out a satisfied sigh. "There's not much time for me to explain everything that happened," Andee said, her back to everyone. "To be honest, I don't even remember half of it. But some of the things I do remember - the things I'm probably not supposed to remember - are Kronos' plans of attack. And tomorrow night, Kronos' forces are going to attack the Empire State Building."

People started whispering to each other in panic, but Andee ignored them.

"Kronos doesn't think we know this, so we've got a slight advantage. Whenever you can rest, do it. We'll organize sentry duty and as soon as your shift is over, sleep. Rest. Clean up. Do whatever you need to do to be able to give two hundred percent tonight. This is going to be the biggest fight yet and if we don't win, everything is lost. Everything is about to get ten times as hard and you are still going to have to give two hundred percent, no matter how crappy you feel. Before they attack the Empire State Building where the final fight for Olympus will happen, we are going to face a Drakon."

This caused even more panic among the campers.

Andee looked around the crowd and suddenly realized something. "Where's the Ares cabin?"

"Clarisse is refusing to fight because of some stupid pride thing," I told her.

"No," Andee said nervously. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Someone needs to convince her and her siblings that they have to fight with us. Only a child of Ares can defeat the Drakon."

The room fell completely silent. We were doomed. "I'll talk to her." Everyone turned to look at Silena, who stood at the back of the room with a few of her cabinmates. "If Clarisse will listen to anyone, it's me. Besides, I'm not a great fighter so my time is probably better spent at camp trying to get her to come back."

Andee watched her carefully for a few moments in silence before saying, "I think that's a really good idea. Do whatever it takes. Tell her I'm back and that I'm personally asking her to come help."

Silena nodded before leaving the room. Andee had a strange look on her face as she watched her leave. "Okay, now it's time to plan our attack. The most effective way to attack is with a blitzkrieg. Blitzkrieg is German for "lightning war" and it was used in the first half of World War II. Pretty much, it involved the coordinated efforts of tanks, mobilized infantry, artillery and aircraft to overwhelm the enemy."

"That could actually work," Malcolm said, stroking his chin.

"Aha, see?" Andee said. "So here's what we do. We position people on pegasi, we have our best archers up in Olympus to shoot down on the enemy, we have people working the front lines with swords and daggers, and we have people working in artillery. We need to sort out these duties as soon as possible because we don't know the exact time they'll attack. And with a Drakon and Typhon in the mix, we need to be on our toes.

"You all know what your strong points are, so go with that. Cabin leaders, organize your troops and make sure everyone has a duty. So sharpen your weapons, get new ones if you need to, rest, heal, and get ready because this is going to be one hell of a fight. And no matter what happens, do not back down," Andee said. The campers actually started to cheer before they went off to get prepared.

Andee watched as everyone started splitting up, and gripped her necklace thoughtfully.

"You okay?" I asked, hugging Andee from behind.

She leaned into me. "Yeah, there's just a lot on my mind right now."

I nodded to show I understood. "It's good to have you back," I whispered, playing with the hem of her shirt. "I really missed you."

"I missed you too," Andee whispered back, one of her hands covering mine. Her warmth immediately spread from my hand to the rest of my body. The cold metal of the bracelet touched my skin. I immediately felt horrible that this had all happened to her. I could have prevented it. "Stop it - this is a much better alternative to death or losing everyone I care about. A couple bracelets are no big deal."

"What, are you a mindreader now?" Andee gave me a look that told me she definitely wasn't. "I just wish it hadn't turned out like this," I told her honestly. She turned around to look at me, her eyes suddenly harsh.

"The best thing you can do for me right now is keep your head together and kill Kronos. That's what everyone, including myself, needs you to do. He has ruined my life, as well as the lives of everyone else here, and he does not deserve to breathe the same air as me, let alone rule Olympus." I didn't think I had ever seen her look and sound so fierce in my entire life. And she had gone through a whole period where she pretended to hate me.

"I will, Andee. I promise."

Her hands grazed my neck and she continued to look at me. "Just remember that you're not alone in this, Perce, you have all of us standing behind you. Even at the final moment, when it's between you and Kronos, we're all going to have your back." She leaned forward and lightly brushed her lips against mine. "I love you, Percy Jackson."

"I love you too," I told her, lightly kissing the tip of her nose.

She smiled a little as she took my hands. "I can't wait until this is all over."

"Me neither," I told her honestly. "It'll be nice to do just normal mortal things for awhile."

"Our lives will never be normal," Andee said, smiling as she moved her hands down to hold my shoulders. "But normal or not, we're going to make it through this whole ordeal."

Someone rushed into the room, catching both of our attention. It was Annabeth. "They're attacking the Empire State Building."

Andee and I exchanged exasperated looks before arming ourselves. I slipped on armor while Andee strapped her dagger to her thigh, slung her quiver of bows over her back and grabbed her bow and arrows. As a last minute thought, I saw her grab her bag and also sling it over her shoulder.

We ran the entire way there and midtown looked like a warzone. Fights were breaking out everywhere, but the smoke and noise showed that the majority of the fighting was happening farther south. After a quick sweep of the area, I saw the Hunters setting up defenses down on 37th, just three blocks north of Olympus. On Park Avenue, Jake and the rest of the Hephaestus cabin were leading an army of statues into battle. Grover, the nature spirits and the Demeter cabin had turned 6th Avenue into a jungle, trapping all the enemy inside. The south was clear, but the enemy flanks were coming around and in only a few more minutes, I knew we'd be surrounded.

"We have to go wherever we're needed most," Annabeth said, looking around. It must've escalated pretty quickly since she left to get us.

"That's everywhere," Andee said, as she stared ahead. "I need to go help my brothers - they're my family and we have to stand together. I...I just don't know what I can really do anymore."

"Look, I'm going to go help my siblings, so you two stay here and fight with the Apollo cabin," Annabeth said. It was like she understood that I didn't want to leave Andee right now, especially when she didn't know what she could do.

So we rushed into battle, taking on herds of empousai, dracaenae, telekhines and enemy demigods. I noticed that Andee was only fighting with weapons - she wasn't using any of her powers like she usually did.

We continued to make our way over to the Empire State Building, and too many of our own were lying wounded in the streets, while others were missing.

"I have to help them," Andee said urgently, swinging her bag off. "Cover me."

I nodded as she pulled out the little kit we had used on Annabeth before and filled an empty needle with her own blood. She injected it into anyone who was lying hurt and whispered to them to get out of the way until it had started working.

As I made sure Andee was safe, I looked to see what everyone else was doing. Annabeth had put on her invisibility cap and was sneaking up on the enemy, Thalia was warding off monsters with Aegis, Grover was bonking monsters on the head with his cudgel, and Mrs. O'Leary was using giants as chew toys.

The entrance to Olympus was only twenty feet behind us, guarded by a small ring of demigods, Hunters and nature spirits. "Hold your lines!" Andee roared, her hands flickering a little.

Behind the enemy troops surging towards us, a few blocks to the east, a bright light started to shine. I realized that it was Kronos on a gold chariot, led by giants holding torches and a group of Hyperboreans behind him carrying purple and black banners bearing the symbol of the scythe.

"We have to fall back to the doorway," Annabeth said, her voice taking on an almost unnoticeable edge of panic. "Hold Olympus at all costs!"

"Oh gods," Andee muttered under her breath, taking down monsters after monster.

A loud horn rang across the area. At first I thought it may be the Hunters but as it got louder, I saw that it was a band of centaurs, led by the one and only Chiron. Monsters began running away from us, trying to escape as volley after volley of arrows showered over the enemy, vaporizing them on the spot.

"Sorry we're late," Chiron said, smiling a little.

"Yes!" Andee cheered as all of our allies got a fresh burst of energy to fight with. The Party Ponies kept shouting different things about their chapters kicking monster butt.

Kronos was not impressed. Especially when he told his troops not to run, and then a Hyperborean stumbled and sat on him. We managed to push them back several blocks and with the Party Ponies holding their line, the enemy fled.

I knew right then that if we even tried to go after them, we'd be spread too thin. What we really needed to do right now was regroup. That was too sudden of an attack, and I had a feeling that wasn't the last time that would happen. At least for now, with dawn approaching, we had bought some time.

Everyone was now rushing over to Chiron to hug him and welcome him to the fight. Having him here was a huge symbol of hope for us, I think. He was the person who had trained all of us, and to have him fighting alongside us was an unimaginable honor.

"Andee, it is great to see you back to your original self," Chiron said, hugging Andee tightly. She just nodded as the returned the embrace. "I apologize for taking so long. Centaurs can travel a lot faster than other creatures because of our ability to bend distance as we ride, but getting all of the Party Ponies together was a different matter all together."

"The important part is that you're here now," Annabeth said, grinning hugely.

We all moved closer to the Empire State Building as everyone started going off to heal the wounded and fix their weapons and armor.

"What's the progress on Typhon?" I asked Chiron.

"The gods are tiring, Percy. Dionysus' chariot was smashed and thrown somewhere over the Appalachians so he won't be able to fight anymore. Hephaestus is also out because he was thrown from battle so hard that he created a new lake in West Virginia. Neither of them can heal soon enough to help. The gods have slowed Typhon's approach but he can't be stopped. By this time tomorrow, Typhon will be in New York."

"I don't think we can hold another day," Annabeth said grimly, stretching her arm where she had been hurt.

"We're going to have to," Thalia said. "I'll get my Hunters to start setting up new traps around the perimeter."

"I had better go check on the Party Ponies and make sure they're not getting into too much trouble," Chiron said before trotting off.

"Well, I guess this gives me an opportunity to help with healing," Andee said.

"I'll come with you," I said immediately.

She smiled sadly at me, like she knew that I didn't want her to be alone. She laced her fingers with mine and led the way over to the make-shift field hospital her brothers had set up. She pulled out her needles and started injecting her blood into the demigods that were the worst off.

In the blink of an eye, I was transported to a dingy bar with country music playing and a sign hung up that said "HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOBBY EARL". I looked over and saw Dionysus playing Pac-Man. I stood there in confusion for a few moments before saying, "Mr. D?"

"Really, Peter Johnson, how long will it take you to recognize me on sight?" he asked, his eyes never leaving the game.

"About as long as it'll take for you to figure out my name," I retorted.

He went on to tell me that part of him was buried under a hundred feet of rubble in an abandoned coal mine and that it would be quite a few more hours until he regenerated. His consciousness was here for the moment because wherever there's a party, his presence is invoked. I definitely didn't know that before. It kind of made me never want to have or go to a party ever again.

He reassured me (in the best way Mr. D can 'reassure') that I would be sent back to my life in a moment as if nothing had happened. He then proceeded to warn me that if Olympus falls, all the gods will fade and civilization as we know it will unravel. Not like we had already figured that out. Apparently gods need the mortals to rescue Olympus because if they don't care enough to save Olympus, then everyone will fade. Otherwise they wouldn't have kept us around for so long. Once again, that was very comforting.

He then informed me that Kronos didn't have full power yet, but that when he did, his mortal body would burn away and then take on his true form. A titan's true form is about ten times more powerful than a normal god's, meaning his very presence can turn you into a pile of ashes. Once that happens, there's no way for him to be stopped.

Before sending me back, he made me promise to keep Pollux alive. When I was back on 5th Avenue, Andee didn't seem to realize I was gone. She glanced back and asked, "What?"

I pulled her aside and told her everything that Dionysus had told me and she nodded, telling me that she had suspected the same thing. "We need to go tell Annabeth and Chiron."

I nodded and looked outside when my eyes came to rest on a blue Prius. A blue prius with a bumper sticker that read "_What does a timid writer need? INKcouragement!_". It was Paul's car.

I raced down the street, barely aware of Andee chasing behind me, yelling at me to stop. When I got to the car, I saw my mom and Paul passed out inside. In a heart-wrenching moment, I realized they must have seen the blue lights in the sky and thought it was my signal.

Chiron was by my side in an instant, telling me that I needed to calm down because the best thing I could do for them was stay focused. I glanced in the back of the car and saw a black and white Greek jar sitting there. Pandora's jar.

"How did that get there? It's locked in a vault in the Plaza!" I said frustratedly.

Chiron and Andee looked at me expectantly, so I explained how Prometheus had given the jar to me and I was to open it if I wanted to surrender. Chiron then told me that the jar will follow me wherever I go and tempt me to open it. Oh, and it will appear when I'm at my weakest, which apparently was right now.

I sliced through the car window and got the jar out, before reaching inside and putting the car to neutral. A few demigods standing nearby came over and started pushing the car out of the way and I was about to take the jar to Olympus when I heard a helicopter flying nearby. I looked up and saw the initials DE on the door. I didn't have to see the name up close to know it stood for "Dare Enterprises".

I cursed. "That's Rachel. She came here because she's been getting weird dreams and visions and she needed to get a message to me."

Chiron nodded, looking at the helicopter with interest. "Andee, I think this is a perfect job for you with your new found ability of wind aerokinesis."

Andee paled dramatically. "Me? I can't - I can't do anything to help with that. I can't even access any of my powers right now."

"Yes, you can, Andee, and I suggest you do it soon as two lives are on the line," Chiron said calmly.

Andee looked like she was going to faint from the pressure. I had never seen her look so scared to use her abilities. That was something she had always used without any hesitation.

"Come on," I told Andee, taking her hand and getting as close to the helicopter as possible. Once we were as close as we could get, I could see Rachel wasn't asleep.

Andee tentatively reached her hands towards the helicopter but nothing was happening. "Focus, Andee," I said carefully, watching the helicopter.

"I'm trying," she whispered, her body tense as she tried to force the power out. I put my hands on her shoulders and rubbed them a little, trying to get her to relax. "Come on, come on," she whispered as she watched the helicopter.

"Andee!" I shouted when the helicopter was a few seconds away from crashing into the Empire State Building. Something must have jolted her because the helicopter stopped dead in its track. She started moving her hands, leading the helicopter closer to where we were and then gently landing it.

I let out a huge breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding and Andee looked like she was going to pass out. I turned her so she was facing me. "You did it, Dee, you saved them." She nodded numbly, running her hands through her hair. I brought her closely and pressed my lips to hers, giving her a light kiss which seemed to shake her out of her reverie.

"Oh gods, Percy, I've never been so scared to use my powers," she admitted.

I cupped her face in my hands. "Don't be scared. They're still there waiting for you to use them. You just have to relax and remember that you're not out of control."

She nodded before leaning in and wrapping her arms around me, trying to get her breathing back under control.

Rachel climbed out of the helicopter, her face pale and green-tinged as she made her way over to us. Andee loosened her grip a bit so that she was holding me from the side, looking at Rachel. Her body tensed a little.

"You saved my life," Rachel said, looking at Andee.

"Let's not make it a habit, okay? It was too close for anyone's liking," Andee said, watching Rachel intently. "Probably not a good idea to come flying into a warzone, either."

"I had to be here. I knew Percy was in trouble." I could Andee was stopping herself from saying something a little rude, so I gave her a look.

"So what's the message you wanted to give me?"

"How did you -?"

"A dream."

Her shorts were covered in all sorts of Greek letters, drawings, camp beads, and sketches of monsters and faces of gods. Rachel explained that she'd been drawing and writing things she didn't understand because they were all Ancient Greek. She told us that something was about to happen, a trick that ends in death. Of course, she didn't know whose death.

"The message I wrote on the beach was different because it had your name in it," Rachel said. "I don't know what it means, but it said 'Perseus, you are not the hero'."

I had no idea what that meant. Not the hero of the prophecy? Not the hero who defeats Kronos? I had so many questions but no one could answer them. I had a feeling Andee knew but wasn't telling. That's typical. Had to be some code for people who received Prophecies.

Chiron came up and began to talk to Rachel, becoming very interested when it was mentioned that she's been seeing things. The fact that she didn't fall asleep fascinated Chiron enough as it was. I knew in an instant that he thought she may be the next Oracle. I remembered what happened to May Castellan when the process had tried, and I asked him to please be careful.

"Percy, Miss Dare and I need to have a long talk," Chiron said. "Your parents are safe so why don't you go back to the Empire State Building and get some sleep? Some bunks have been set up in the lobby."

"Everybody keeps telling me to sleep. I don't need sleep," I mumbled.

Andee grinned. "Have you looked at yourself, Perce? You look like shit."

I looked down and saw that my clothes were scorched, burned, sliced and tattered from the night of battling. "Well not everyone can look perfect in the middle of a battle," I retorted and Andee rolled her eyes.

"You may be invulnerable in combat but that makes your body tire faster. I remember Achilles, and whenever he wasn't fighting, he was sleeping. Twenty naps a day, at least. You need your rest, Percy, because you may be our only hope."

I sighed and pretended I was going to do as he said. As soon as we walked through the doors of the Empire State Building, I knew we had to do more preparations. So I started to go do that. "Percy!" Andee shouted, waking a few people. "You have to sleep. You need it if you're going to survive everything that's going to happen." I gave her a look. "I'll sleep with you if that helps."

"Fine," I sighed, walking over to one of the bunks and laying down. Andee came and laid down in front of me so we were spooning. I wrapped my arm around her midsection and kissed her neck before letting myself fall asleep.


	36. Seeing Double

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, series, movies, or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **SO EXCITED! I just finished my timeline for Drop in the Ocean, which means I'll be writing very soon! So much is going to happen, and most of you will probably hate me for most the story. Just sayin'. But I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to leave a review!

**Chapter Thirty-Six  
Seeing Double**

I was sick of dreams. In this one, I saw that the Titan army had set up in the UN complex, about a mile northeast of the Empire State Building. Flagpoles were decorated with helmets and pieces of armor from campers that had been slain by them.

Monsters and enemy demigods were sharpening and repairing their weapons while Kronos paced at the top of the plaza. Ethan and Prometheus stood just far away enough that his scythe couldn't reach them.

Kronos started going on about how he hated the United Nations because it was impossible for mankind to unite. After he took Olympus, he wanted Prometheus to remind him to destroy the United Nations. Prometheus made a smart-ass remark about destroying the stables in Central Park too because Kronos hates horses so much. After some more talk, Kronos told Ethan to release the Drakon right away because wanted Olympus destroyed by the time Typhon got there.

I jolted awake at a loud noise, which I realized was the Drakon waking.

"What was that?" Annabeth asked.

"That would be the sound of a Drakon," Andee said groggily, rubbing her eyes.

We were doomed. The Hephaestus cabin was out of Greek fire, the Apollo cabin and the Hunters were scrounging for arrows, and most of us had ingested so much ambrosia and nectar that we'd kill ourselves if we took any more. So in total, we had about sixteen campers, fifteen Hunters, and half a dozen satyrs left that could fight. Everyone else was resting and healing on Olympus. The Party Ponies were trying to form ranks but they kept stumbling and giggling.

Rachel rode in on Chiron, which made me a little jealous. He hardly ever let people ride him, and never a mortal before. "It's a Lydian Drakon, the oldest and most dangerous kind. It has to be killed by a child of Ares."

"I already saw that and told everyone," Andee remarked. "And sent Silena to go get the Ares cabin."

"That's why Kronos thinks we can't beat it," I said. "Because the spy has told him that the Ares cabin won't fight with us."

So for those of you who don't know the difference between a dragon and a Drakon, I'm going to tell you. Drakons are _way_ older than dragons, bigger and more serpent-like. They don't have wings, and they can't breathe fire, but they're all extremely poisonous, their scales are harder than titanium and their eyes can paralyze with just one look.

The enemy army was advancing down 5th Avenue.

"I'll take the Drakon," I said quietly, in almost a whisper. I was terrified. I knew I couldn't beat it. Then, in a much louder voice, I yelled "I'LL TAKE THE DRAKON! Everyone else, hold the line against the army. Annabeth, go direct them and make sure the line is held at all costs." Annabeth pulled on her owl helmet and rushed over to start. I turned to Andee. "Andee, I hate to ask this of you, but will you help me?"

"As much as I possibly can in this state," Andee said, almost unnoticeably glancing at her bracelets.

I felt horrible asking this of her. After everything that had happened, I should have sent her away so that she was safe until she learned how to use her powers with the bracelets. Of course, she would have never agreed to it, but she could easily fight the army, not so much the Drakon.

"I want you to get close to it and look for any weak links or chinks in its armor," I told her. She nodded.

I whistled and Mrs. O'Leary came bounding over. Andee gave me a death look before running off, trying to get a visual on the Drakon.

The enemy army broke through the Party Ponies, breaking the line, and the Drakon immediately swallowed three Californian centaurs in one gulp. Mrs. O'Leary attacked, but as much as she scratched and bit it, it didn't cause any damage. I slashed Riptide against it, but once again, it had no effect, so I stabbed him in the eye.

That really pissed it off. I reared its head and tried to attack, but I just barely missed getting shot with poison. I also had to keep reminding myself to focus on the teeth because I didn't want to end up paralyzed like some of my allies.

Andee must've found a good spot because she was now on top of the Drakon and stabbed her dagger into the chink in its armor. It reared back, roaring in pain. Andee held on, trying to dig her dagger in farther, but it was no use. There was no way it would kill her.

She flew off and came running over to me, shaking her head. "We need a child of Ares. Now."

"I'm fully aware of that, but thanks for the reminder," I said as I blocked another attempt from the Drakon. I glanced over and saw that the campers were retreating to the doors of the Empire State Building. The Drakon sent Mrs. O'Leary flying off to the side and she hit a building, making it collapse in on itself. I felt horrible for my pet, but there was no point trying to help her now. I was just about to say that we could probably retreat with the others as well when I heard a huge battle cry of "ARES!"

I looked to the south and saw about a dozen war chariots flying towards battle, each waving a red banner decorated with a wild boar's head and being pulled by skeletal horses. That meant we had a total of about thirty fresh soldiers in gleaming armor and with eyes full of loathing. Clarisse was in the front of the group, leading her brothers and sisters into battle.

The arrival of the Ares war chariots brought a new energy to all of the campers, nature spirits and Hunters while the enemy troops were thrown into confusion. And then things began to go wrong.

The Drakon are an Ares camper, knocked aside another one, and sprayed poison at a third who sprinted away in panic as his armor began to melt off of him.

I knew we needed more help, but I glanced over at Mrs. O'Leary and she tried to limp over, one of her paws leaving bloody prints as she went. "Stay, girl." She let herself lay down on the pavement, swiping at the occasional monster with her good paw.

"Come on, Clarisse! You can do it!" I shouted to my fellow camper in red armor. For a moment, she glanced over at me and I saw two things I had never seen on Clarisse before. Number one, fear in her eyes. She looked terrified. Number two, her normally brown eyes were blue.

After a quickly glance in my direction, she went charging straight towards the Drakon like someone with a death wish. The Drakon spat poison right in her face, and with a shrill scream, she went tumbling to the ground.

Everyone went running to her aid while her brothers and sisters tried to fend her. I was so worried about Clarisse that I barely noticed the war chariot speeding towards us on 5th. "NO! Curse you, why?" the driver of the chariot screamed as she sprinted towards the group of us surrounding the fallen camper.

"Get the helmet off! NOW!" Annabeth ordered, trying to help a few of the Ares campers unfasten the helmet, but the poison had melted it into a weird shape. The girl from the chariot kneeled beside Clarisse and...wait, it was Clarisse? How could there be two Clarisse's?

Andee reached over and took the fallen camper's hand tightly in hers, a few tears streaming down her face.

"What is going on?" I asked just as Annabeth and the Ares campers managed to rip off the helmet. The fake Clarisse had been Silena all along.

The real Clarisse was seething. Not at her friend, but at the Drakon. She stood and turned on the creature before screaming, "You want death? WELL COME ON!"

Without any armor or shield, she charged the Drakon. She was much faster than the ancient beast and within seconds, she had stabbed her electric spear into the Drakon's good eye with so much force that it actually shattered the shaft. Electricity arced through the Drakon's body, making it shudder for a moment before the flesh dissolved and all that was left was the hollow scaly armor.

Clarisse didn't seem to care that she had just done the impossible, and immediately came running back to Silena, taking her other hand. Then something triggered my memory.

A trick that ends in death.

This was the trick. And a horrible feeling filled the pit of my stomach when I realized that the death would be Silena's.

"The...the only way the cabin would come is if Clarisse was leading them," Silena said hoarsely. "I stole her armor while Chris and Clarisse were on patrol. They wanted to believe it was you."

"You stupid Aphrodite girl," Clarisse cried, tears dropping from her eyes onto Silena's armor, "why did you charge a Drakon? Why?"

"All my fault," she whispered. "The Drakon, Charlie's death, Andee's kidnapped, camp endangered -"

"Don't say that!"

Silena opened the hand Andee had previously been holding to reveal a silver bracelet with a scythe charm, the symbol of Kronos.

"You were the spy," I said quietly, not having ever suspected her. I glanced over at Andee and she had a weird look on her face like...guilt.

"Before I ever liked Charlie, Luke was so handsome and so nice to me. I wanted to stop, I really did, but he threatened to tell everyone. He promised me...he promised me that I was going to save lives. Fewer people would get hurt, and that Charlie would be safe...he lied to me."

"Help the centaurs and protect the doors!" Clarisse roared at her cabin mates, who immediately obeyed.

"Forgive me..."

"You're not dying," Clarisse said sternly.

"Charlie...I can see Charlie..."

Her body became lifeless and we all realized that we had just witnessed one of our friends die. Annabeth tearfully closed Silena's eyes. "We - we have to fight. She gave her life to help us and we have to honor that."

"She was a hero, understand? A hero," Clarisse said, as if we all hadn't already figured that out.

Chris led Clarisse off, muttering about how she was going to take revenge on Kronos the first chance she got.

Andee gently touched Silena's cheek one last time before moving away from the body, hastily wiping away the tears in her eyes. "You knew, didn't you?" I asked her quietly.

"I saw...I saw her when Kronos had me," Andee said, starting to cry again. "I knew she was the spy, Perce, but I knew she never meant any harm. That's why I sent her to camp to get the Ares campers - so that she wouldn't hear any more of our planning and so that she'd have a chance to redeem herself in some way. I couldn't let something happen to her with everyone thinking she was a horrible person, because she wasn't. She fell for Luke's charms just like everyone has."

"Andee, you make me fall in love with you more and more everyday," I told her and she laughed a little as I wiped her tears away. "If Silena had had more time, I know she would have thanked you. I think everyone here is thankful for what you did."

She nodded and leaned into me for a quick moment before we both realized we were in the middle of the battle. But when we turned to start fighting again, Clarisse was driving the army away all on her own, without armor or a spear. She was so inspiring that even the centaurs were started to rally.

She was practically glowing.

"She has the blessing of Ares," Andee said quietly, watching her in awe. "I've never seen him give it to anyone before."

I remembered reading about the blessing of Ares, and for the time being, she was invincible. No one could harm her and the enemy didn't take too long to pick up on this before turning tail and running.

Even after they were long gone, Clarisse was still shouting and racing around in circles in her chariot, pulling the Drakon carcass behind her. She demanded that Kronos show his face and fight her. I didn't want to leave her like this, but Chris assured us that once she tired, he'd bring her in.

I was good with that.


	37. The Fallen

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, series, movies, or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! Thought I'd quickly update while I have a moment, so I hope you like it and don't forget to read, review, and favorite! Especially reviews because I love hearing what you guys have to say!

**Chapter Thirty-Eight  
The Fallen**

"Anyone who has been healed needs to stand watch and prepare themselves for the final stand," Thalia ordered, before moving over to the small group of Andee, Annabeth and me. "I think you three should go up to Olympus and get ready while my Hunters stand watch."

Annabeth nodded and led the way inside the Empire State Building. I looked around and saw that the doorman had mysteriously disappeared. "The defenses are crumbling," Andee whispered.

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"The doorman is gone, so anyone can walk up to Olympus without a key card. That means that the magic is starting to fade," Annabeth explained.

"And we can't just fry the electrical circuit so no one can get up there?"

Annabeth shook her head grimly. "It's run on magic. So whoever comes up, comes up."

I beckoned Mrs. O'Leary over and as she limped over, I noticed that her injured paw had been injured. Andee backed up a few steps, accidently crashing into the lobby's desk. I whispered to Mrs. O'Leary, telling her to bring someone that could help and she leapt in the shadows, shadow-traveling away.

"You don't have to be afraid of Mrs. O'Leary, she's the friendliest hellhound you'll ever meet," I told Andee, who warily joined Annabeth and I again.

"Be that as it may, she could still scratch me by accident, and you know what happened last time," Andee said, shuddering involuntarily at the thought. "I will never like dogs."

I laughed a little and hugged her tightly. Same ol' Andee. Grover came into the Empire State Building lobby, cradling Leneus and bringing him as far inside as he could.

He was dying. Grover's eyes were filled with tears because even if the guy was a pompous ass, he was going to die fighting for our cause.

"Did we win?" Leneus croaked, trying to look around, but finding the simple task of turning his neck too painful.

"Yeah...yeah, we did," Grover said, wiping away a few stray tears. "We won because of your amazing leadership. You practically pushed the enemy away on your own."

"I was great, wasn't I?" Leneus said before bring thrown into a coughing fit. Within a few moments of stopping coughing, he passed away. Grover said an ancient blessing and Leneus body turned into a laurel sapling.

"A laurel? Lucky guy," Grover said tearfully, taking a lot of time to inspect the leaves of his former mentor.

"Why don't you come with us up to Olympus and plant it in the gardens?" I asked softly. Grover nodded, picking up the laurel sapling and walking to the elevator a few steps ahead of us.

Annabeth, Andee and I followed behind him.

As we waited in the elevator to reach the six hundredth floor, the tension was thick. Like, I could cut it just by unsheathing Riptide. "I'm sorry," Annabeth said quietly, her gray eyes boring into my green ones.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," I insisted.

"Yes I do. I should have listened to you, Percy; you were right about Luke all this time. You tried to tell me that he was no good, but I didn't believe you until I'd heard how he'd used Silena," Annabeth said, the tightness of her voice making it clear that she was on the verge of crying. "Gods, I was so blind." Annabeth turned to Andee. "He used you too. He'd been using you since you started dating him and I never picked up on it. Never once thought about how it affected you to see me sticking up for him all the time. I'm so sorry, Andee."

I glanced at Andee and she was staring straight ahead, the usual sparkly in her eyes having gone dull. She slipped her hand in Annabeth's before giving her a meaningful look. "Luke saved your life and was like a big brother to you while you were on the run. I couldn't do that for you. That was why I didn't tell you about us dating, or what he did to me because I didn't want you to feel like this when everything happened. I didn't even want you to know but Kronos told you in the maze."

"Did he ever -"

"No," Andee said firmly, starting to shake a little. "He never touched me...never like that, at least. It's more that he touched my mind...filled it with darkness...I can't..." Andee shook her head. I slipped my hand into hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. "None of this is your fault, Annie, so stop blaming yourself."

There was a moment of silence for Grover piped up. "Isn't it great that we're all back together again? Almost dying, arguing and - oh look, it's our floor."

As soon as we stepped out of the elevator, I was hit by how depressing Olympus looked. All of the fires in the braziers were extinguished, all the windows in the houses were dark, the streets were deserted and doors were barred. The only movement I could see was in the parks, which the Apollo cabin had set up as hospitals. Lee and Will and all the other Apollo campers were running around and caring for the wounded. The naiads were helping heal burns and poison with their nature magic.

We planted the sapling in one of the emptier parks before moving forward to help cheer up all the wounded, and help with any healing that we could. There was one demigod lying on a cot, covered from head to toe in bandages.

Andee froze in her tracks, staring at the next demigod, because he was covered in a burial shroud with the symbol of a golden lyre on it. The noise she made when she saw that one of her brothers had been killed was something I never wanted to hear again. It was like someone had ripped off one of her limbs.

She rushed over to the cot the body was laying on and lifted up the corner of the shroud just enough so that only she could see who was underneath. She burst into heart-wrenching sobs, falling to her knees as she completely broke down.

She tried to calm down but when that didn't work, she started singing an eerie song in Ancient Greek. I recognized some of the words and after listening carefully for a few seconds, I figured out that she was singing a sort of hymn that said goodbye and wished the deceased into Elysium.

I moved towards her and wrapped her in my arms. She immediately flung her arms around me and began weeping into the crook of my neck. I rocked her back and forth, whispering to her that he would be in Elysium, that he had died a hero.

Lee saw and heard Andee and came over, kneeling down beside us. He rubbed her shoulder a little before Andee unhooked herself from me and hugged him even tighter than she'd been hugging me, like she needed to feel the warm flesh of her brother to make sure they hadn't all passed on. Lee held her comfortingly, kissing the top of her head, whispering something to her and she nodded. He let go of her for a second and stood up, leaving our group. I moved closer to Andee again, holding her as she continued to cry. Lee returned a few seconds later with a small bowl.

Andee reached down and took her dagger out of its sheath. Before I could stop her, she sliced across her arm several times, pouring the blood into the bowl. "Make sure everyone gets some," she whispered and Lee nodded, giving his sister one last kiss on the forehead before leaving.

She sat near the bed silently, holding the hand of her fallen brother. I left her for a bit, getting the feeling that she needed to be alone.

I saw Pollux over on one of the beds, cut up and bruised, and with an arm in a sling. "Hey, I need to ask you for a favor."

"What do you need?" Pollux asked, standing up immediately. He looked exhausted.

"I need you to stay out of the fighting. Stay here and help with the healing, but stay out of the line of fire, alright?" I asked.

"I can't just let everyone else fight -"

"You can and you will. Consider it a personal favor, okay?" I asked. Pollux looked at me for a few moments before nodding, looking secretly grateful that he wasn't going to have to go back in and fight.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder and I turned to see Andee standing behind me. Her eyes were puffy and red, making the green stand out even more. "We can keep going."

I put my hands on her hips and pulled her closer. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I'm fine."

"No you're not," I said.

"I will be," Andee said, giving a quick nod of her head before tangling her fingers in mine. "Just...just don't die, okay?"

I swallowed a lump in my throat. "I'll try."

She turned to face me. "Prophecies don't always mean what we think they mean. You know that. Don't let it get to you. Look at my prophecy - it said you're going to always break my heart. Maybe that just means you're going to have to keep stabbing me in the heart to keep the darkness away. And I'm okay with that."

"What if yours means something else?" I said seriously. "I don't want to ever hurt you."

"We will cross that bridge if we ever come to it," Andee said. "But just keep in mind that maybe the Great Prophecy isn't just about you. It could be about multiple people, but just happens to mention you."

"Maybe..." I said doubtfully.

"Please just try not to think about it. Think about everything that's waiting for you after this is over. That's your future, not a Prophecy."

I nodded but my throat still felt like a desert. We met back up with Annabeth and Grover and headed to the palace. As we approached, I saw the hearth had gone done to a dull red glow. Hestia was shivering beside it and the Ophiotaurus was swimming sadly in its little sphere of water. I looked a little further and saw Rachel sitting at the foot of Zeus' throne.

"Any closer and she might as well just sit right on my grandpa's throne," Andee muttered.

"Is someone jealous?" I asked teasingly.

"Should I have a reason to be jealous?" Andee said, her stare penetrating.

"No," I said firmly. "There may have been a spark once, but that was over the moment I saw you."

"You know, all it takes it a spark to light a fire," Andee said.

"I guess that's what happened when I met you, eh?" I said, giving her a quick kiss. I looked back to Rachel and she was looking up at the stars, a strange look to her. Then I noticed the pithos in her hands. "Rachel, why do you have that?"

"I found it. It's Pandora's jar, right?" she asked, her voice sounding like she was in a daze.

"Put it down."

"I can see Hope inside - she looks so fragile," Rachel said, looking into it with bright eyes. Within two strides I was standing in front of her, taking the pithos from her. She seemed to snap out of it, giving it up freely.

"Grover and I are going to go see if there's any extra Greek fire lying around," Annabeth said, excusing herself and a protesting Grover.

"I think I sense some over there," Andee pointed as she walked up to me. "I'm going to go help my brothers. We need as many able-bodied people as possible." I nodded and she closed the small gap between us, her lips like feathers on mine. "Love you."

"Love you too," I murmured, wishing she wouldn't leave and even more that this war wasn't going on. She walked by Rachel, whispering something that I couldn't hear, but Rachel paled and nodded. "What did she say to you?" I asked once Andee had left.

"'If you try anything with my boyfriend, I'll kill you'," Rachel repeated. I chuckled a little, but apparently Rachel didn't see it as funny. "Yeah...so interesting girlfriend you've got there. Definitely don't ever want to be on her bad side."

"No you do not," I said. "Come on, I want you to meet someone." I walked over to the dimming hearth and bowed. "Lady Hestia."

"Hello Percy Jackson," Hestia said, rubbing her hands together to try to stay warm. "Getting colder now that the Titans are getting more power."

"I know," I said quietly.

"And you, my dear. At last you've come to our hearth," Hestia said, looking straight at Rachel.

"You've been expecting me?" Rachel asked.

Hestia waved her hand over the fire and several images started to play. I saw Christmas dinner with Paul and my mom, singing songs around the campfire with the other campers, Andee and I kissing on Fireworks Beach. I didn't know if Rachel was seeing the same images, but she was blushing.

"To claim your place at the hearth you must let go of all distractions. It is the only way you will survive," Hestia told Rachel.

Rachel nodded before whispering, "All this time I thought I was coming here for you, but I was drawn to you because you would open the door to this world for me. I needed to under my true sight."

I have to be honest. I was a little ticked. "So, thanks for bringing you to Olympus, you'll see me later?"

Hestia explained that I've been told all that I could be told but that Rachel's moment was coming. On top of that, my own decision was approaching even more quickly, and she wondered if I was prepared.

I didn't know if I was. I looked into the pithos and for the first time, I wanted to open it because hope was pretty useless to me now. So many of my friends were dead, Rachel would be cutting me off, my parents were asleep somewhere in the streets, Olympus was about to fall and the gods had done _so _many cruel things to their children and everyone else.

When I looked back at Hestia I saw all of the good things - my friends, my family, Andee being back with her friends, family and me, and Nico standing up to his dad and telling him to fight.

Annabeth, Grover and Andee came back. Andee was crying silently but quickly wiping away her tears as if she didn't think I'd notice them.

"Will you be okay?" I asked Rachel, implying a lot in that simple question.

"I don't know, I guess it depends on whether you save the world or not."

I nodded, and glanced at the pithos in my hands again. "Hestia, I give this to you as an offering because you're the last Olympian, and the most important because Hope survives at the hearth. Guard it for me so I won't ever be tempted to give up again."

She smiled. "You did well, Percy Jackson. I hope the gods bless you."

Then I got a crazy idea.


	38. Well, That Escalated Quickly

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, movies, series, characters, or anything else you may recognize. _  
_

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! Thought I'd post a quick update while I was at my computer! Make sure you leave a review and alert the story! Only two more chapters left until the sequel!

**Chapter Thirty-Eight  
Well, That Escalated Quickly**

_WHO DARES -_

"It's Percy," I interrupted.

This was my great plan. To sit on my father's throne to get his attention. Grover even explained how gods didn't like people sitting on their thrones in the turn-you-into-a-pile-of-ashes kind of way. Obviously I didn't listen because I really needed his attention.

_What - exactly - are you doing sitting on my throne?_

"I'm sorry, dad," I said, "but I really needed to get your attention."

_Even for you, this was a dangerous stunt. If I hadn't looked before blasting, you'd be a puddle of seawater right now._

I apologized again before telling him everything that had happened and what my plan was. He was silent for awhile before telling me that it was impossible. I told him that the only reason Kronos sent an army to him was because he knew it could tip the scales. My dad tried to argue that Kronos was attacking his home until I mentioned that I was at his home, in Olympus.

That didn't do much to stop his anger, but I could hear the battle back on his end. I asked if Tyson was okay, and apparently he was doing better than anyone expected. I asked my dad to let Tyson fight and my dad demanded I stop changing the subject.

"Dad, I realize what I'm asking you to do," I started.

_My palace will be destroyed!_

"And Olympus will be saved," I finished for him. He was quiet for a moment.

_You had better pray this works_, dad said.

"I am - I'm talking to you, aren't I?"

_Point taken_, my dad said before there was a loud explosion and our connection was cut off.

My vision refocused and the others were looking me weirdly. I slid off the throne and said, "You guys are looking at me like I'm about to explode."

"Pretty sure that's because you were about to," Andee pointed out. I looked down and saw that I was actually smoking. "A few more minutes and you'd be up in flames. Definitely not one of your best plans."

"It got his attention and he's agreed to my plan," I said.

"What's your -"

"The enemy is advancing with Kronos in the lead!" Thalia shouted as she burst into the throne room. "We need every able bodied person on the ground fighting _right now_."

No one needed to be told twice. We all raced down to the street and were once again in shock by what we saw. Hunters and campers alike were already injured. Clarisse must have lost in a fight against a Hyperborean because she was frozen inside her chariot in a block of ice. The centaurs were nowhere to be seen.

The most shocking thing was Chiron standing right in the enemy vanguard's way, his arrow pointed right at Kronos. "Step aside, son," Kronos said. It felt so weird to hear Luke calling Chiron 'son'.

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

Andee's hand slipped into mine, squeezing it for a moment. "Are you okay to fight?" I asked her quietly, my eyes never leaving Chiron.

"Always," Andee said, removing her hand from mine and taking her bow off her back. "How about you?"

"As I'll ever be."

A dracaenae got impatient and surged forward. Chiron didn't hesitate for a second when he should an arrow through her forehead. The dracaenae disintegrated on the spot. Unfortunately, Chiron reached for another arrow only to find he had none left in his quiver. I knew Chiron didn't like to use his sword, but he unsheathed it anyways, ready to fight.

"You're a teacher, not a hero," Kronos laughed condescendingly.

"Luke was a hero - a great hero - until you corrupted him," Chiron informed him.

Kronos laughed. "Fool! You filled his head with empty promises. You said the gods cared about me!"

"Me. You said 'me'."

Luke was still in there. He was getting deeper and deeper but Luke was still in there somewhere.

Kronos looked at Chiron in confusion for a moment and that was all Chiron needed. He pulled a feint followed by a strike to the face. Unfortunately Kronos was quicker and knocked Chiron aside, yelling "BACK!". A blinding white light exploded between the centaur and the titan and Chiron was sent flying into the side a building with so much force that the entire side of the building crumbled and collapsed on top of him.

"NO!" Annabeth screamed. The freezing spell that seemed to have been on of us broke, and Annabeth turned on Luke. "To think that I...that I thought -"

"Annabeth, stop!" Andee said through gritted teeth, trying to hold her determined friend back as she tried to attack Kronos. She tried to plunge her dagger into him and it bounced off uselessly. Her dagger arm dangled lifelessly at her side.

Andee yanked her back forcefully, her arms wrapped tightly around Annabeth's midsection as Annabeth fought with all she had to get to Kronos. "I HATE YOU!"

Andee dragged her back over and shoved Annabeth's arm back into its socket. Annabeth screamed in pain but it didn't faze Andee. Andee quickly hummed a soft melody and Annabeth's pained face lessened.

"Such spirit! I understand now why Luke wanted to spare you, but unfortunately, that won't be possible," Kronos said.

A loud dog howl pierced the air. It sounded like Mrs. O'Leary and could only hope that it was. I whistled and something forced the enemy to create a path. Sure enough, it was Mrs. O'Leary with Nico riding on top in pure black armor.

My chest swelled with happiness at the site of him. The monsters all avoided him like he radiated death (which he did, now that I think of it). Nico slid off Mrs. O'Leary and walked towards our group. He looked at us through the face guard of his skull-shaped helmet and said, "Got the message and I'm here to join the party."

"Son of death," Kronos said, spitting on the ground. "You must love death so much that you wish to experience it."

"Actually, I would like to experience death - your death," Nico said wittily.

"You're a fool. I'm an immortal! I escaped Tartarus! You have no business here, son of death, and no chance to live," Kronos said, watching Nico intently.

Nico pulled out his Stygian iron sword. "I'm going to have to disagree with you." The ground started to rumble and thousands of skeletons started crawling out, armed and ready to fight.

The monsters started freaking out when they saw the skeletons. "HOLD YOUR GROUND!" Kronos roared at his troops. "The dead are no match for us!"

Horses began to form from the shadows, pulling out a chariot inlaid with obsidian and gold and decorated with scenes of painful death. Hades was riding inside, wearing black armor and a cloak the color of fresh blood. He had the Helm of Darkness on his head. Demeter and Persephone sat in the chariot with him.

"Hello father, you're looking extraordinarily young for your age," Hades said. Andee grinned. Apparently she got along with the god of death a lot better than I did. Probably because she died so often. I wondered if she actually went to the Underworld during that time? I'd have to find a moment to ask her.

"Hades, I hope you and the ladies have come to pledge your allegiance."

"I'm afraid not, father. My son has convinced me that I need to prioritize my list of enemies," Hades said, sending a glare of distaste my way. "As much as I dislike certain demigods, it really wouldn't be good for me if Olympus fell. I'd miss bickering with my siblings, although, if there's one thing we agree on it's that you were a _terrible_ father."

Yeah, swallowing your children whole...really not good parenting. Just saying.

"True," Demeter agreed. "He has no appreciation for agriculture."

"Mother," Persephone said in annoyance, like a teenager that still had to be dropped off by her parents.

"The House of Hades shall be called the saviors of Olympus from this day forward!" Hades said as he unsheathed his blade.

"I don't have time for this," Kronos said bluntly before striking the ground with his scythe. A huge fissure appeared in the ground, separating Kronos' vanguard, my friends and me from the rest of the two armies.

"He's sealing us in," Grover said. "He's collapsed all of magic barriers around Manhattan to cut off just the building and us."

Well, that wasn't good news.

All around us, people started waking up and engines were revving to life. Down the block, mom and Paul got out of the Prius. I tried to signal for them to stay away but they started right towards us.

Hades blasted the wall with black energy before yelling "ATTACK!" The dead started attacking the monsters as the mortals ran for cover. I had no idea what they must be seeing through the Mist right now, but it was probably pretty messed up.

Demeter waved her hand and an entire column of giants turned into a wheat field, and her daughter turned all of the dracaena's swords into sunflowers. Nico slashed and hacked his way through the vanguard, trying to protect as many pedestrians as he could. My parents were still running towards me, dodging monsters and zombies.

"Nakamura, attend me," Kronos ordered. "Giants, get rid of them." Without a glance behind him, Kronos ducked into the lobby with Ethan.

I was a little stunned. I had been expecting him to fight me right here, but instead we were going to be stuck fighting the giants.

Nico started heading towards my parents, but the monsters were closing in on them. Paul picked up a fallen camper's sword and kept one of the dracaenae busy for a few seconds before stabbing her in the stomach.

I was amazed.

"I hope that was a monster I just killed. I was a Shakespearean actor in college! Picked up a little swordplay!" Paul shouted to me, smiling a little.

"Your stepdad is so cool," Andee said, giving me a look as she kicked a monster in the shin and stabbed her dagger in its neck.

A giant started sneaking up on my mother, who was leaning into a police car. "MOM!" She whipped around and shot the giant with a shotgun from the police car.

"Good shot!" Andee said, shooting an arrow at a monster that was getting a little too close to Paul.

"Thanks Andee! Glad to see you're back!" she replied. Andee smiled appreciatively.

"When did you learn how to fire a shotgun?" I demanded.

"About two seconds ago. Percy, we will be fine. Go!" she told me.

"Yeah, we can handle the army," Nico agreed. "You have to get Kronos!"

Here was my moment to do something right. I turned to my girlfriend, taking in how gorgeous she was, especially in the middle of battle. She had a spark in her green eyes and her hair was a little messed. "Andee, you don't have to come with me. You can stay down here or leave and get to safety for all I care. No one really knows how your abilities work after everything that's happened and I want you to be safe."

Andee wrapped her arms around me and pressed her lips to mine. I couldn't help but get a little distracted, pulling her closer and enjoying the taste of her. She pulled away just a few inches. "I will stand by you until the very end, Percy, no matter what happens."

I hugged her tightly for a few seconds before glancing over at the rubble pile at the side of the building. "Mrs. O'Leary! Get Chiron out of there!" I yelled at my pet hellhound. She leapt over to the pile and immediately started digging.

We grabbed Annabeth, Thalia and Grover from the fight and raced into the elevator. As soon as we reached the six hundredth floor, Olympus looked even worse than before. Bridge was dissolving and as soon as we stepped out of the elevator, cracks began to form in the walkway.

Grover jumped across, quickly followed by Thalia and myself. "Go!" Andee said to Annabeth, practically shoving her. Annabeth barely made it and the path was disintegrating even quicker. Andee took a deep breath before leaping over.

She didn't make the jump.

But she didn't fall.

She stayed mid-air and landed on the path with the rest of us. We all stared at her for a moment. "What?"

"You just flew," Thalia said in shock. I don't think even Thalia knew how to do that.

Andee looked behind her. "No I didn't. You guys must be imagining things - I made the jump, easily. I can't fly."

"I think you can," Annabeth said. Andee just shrugged. When I looked back at the area, the elevator doors were hanging on their on in space. "The connection between Olympus and America is dissolving and if it fails, the gods won't move onto another country this time. This will be the end of Olympus forever," Annabeth pointed out.

We ran through the streets and Olympus was going to hell. Mansions were burning, statues had been hacked down and trees in the parks had been blasted to splinters. We continued on the path to the palace, noting that everything was gone and destroyed. A few of the minor gods and nature spirits must have tried to stop Kronos because all that was left of them were their armor, clothing, swords and spears.

"Brick by brick! That was my promise. Tear it down BRICK BY BRICK!" Kronos yelled in the distance, sounding like an insane politician.

A white marble temple with a gold dome exploded. "That was a shrine to Artemis," Thalia muttered angrily as we ran under a marble archway with huge statues of Zeus and Hera. "Look out!"

I looked up just in time to see the twenty-ton scowling statue of Hera toppling over. Andee and I would have been crushed under it if Thalia hadn't pushed us just out of the danger zone.

"Thalia!" Grover shouted, sprinting to check on her. She was alive but pinned under the statue. We all tried to move it but it was too heavy.

"I've survived all these battles and I'm brought down by a chunk of rock?" Thalia grumbled. "This sucks."

"You should have let me be pinned!" Andee practically shouted at Thalia. "I can regenerate! Hera wanted me to get pinned under it because most likely I would've died and had a helluva regeneration. She hates me because Zeus loves me so much!"

"Well, you're one of the best fighters I've seen. They need you," Thalia said. "Now leave me and go. There are more important things to happening right now."

"We're going to come back for you," Annabeth promised.

"I'll be waiting," Thalia said, indicating the statue lying on top of her.


	39. Forgiving a Hero

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the PJO characters, series, movies, books, or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! Sorry it's taken me so long to update, but I've been busy getting my life back in order (getting a new car, getting a credit card, re-applying for school in the fall, etc.) I've also been spending a lot more time working on my novels, so I have not yet started "Drop in the Ocean", which is due to start after Chapter 40 of this story. So when I post chapter 40, the first chapter of Drop in the Ocean will be posted as well, but it might not be for awhile, so keep encouraging me with your reviews!

**Chapter Thirty-Nine:  
****Forgiving a Hero**

The palace doors had been ripped off the hinges and Kronos was standing in the middle of the throne room laughing. "Finally! Now which seat of power shall I destroy first?"

Hestia and Rachel were long gone, thank the gods.

Ethan stood off to the side, just out of reach of Kronos' scythe. As soon as Ethan saw us, he said, "They're here."

Kronos turned and smiled at us. "Should I destroy you first, Jackson? If that's the choice you make, of course - to fight me and die instead of bowing down. Prophecies never end well, you know. Well, I guess you've seen it first hand." He looked over at Andee and his smile grew. "Nice shackles. It would be a shame to see something happen to them."

Andee glared at him. I was furious because he was the one that made it so she had to wear them. "Luke fought with a sword, but I guess you don't have anywhere near his skill," I said to get his attention off of Andee. I really didn't like how he was looking at her.

Kronos sneered at me and his scythe turned into Backbiter, Luke's old half-steel half-Celestial bronze sword. He immediately lunged to attack. I didn't hesitate to block his attacks and stab him. Ethan began inching towards my back, trying to get to my spot.

"You thought I was a bitch under Kronos' control? Let's see how that changes now that you have to fight me," Andee said, coming in-between me and Nakamura. I could feel the heat radiating off her body.

Grover started playing his reed pipes, the sound filling me with warmth and courage. I jumped onto Hephaestus' seat as Kronos backed me into it. It warned me that it was going into defense mode, so I leaped over Kronos, and he got to feel defense mode instead. Apparently it involved a lot of electricity.

Annabeth saw a chance and charged Kronos. She went flying backwards with a flick of his hand. Grover rushed over to her and Andee kicked Ethan hard in the stomach, winding him and using his moment of pain to get closer to me.

"Nakamura, you know where Jackson's vulnerable spot it. Kill him and you were be rewarded beyond measure," Kronos said.

"Do you really want to see the end of the world? Is that the reward you want?" I asked Ethan. "Do you really want to see everything destroyed - the good, the bad, everything?"

"There's no throne to Nemesis - no throne for my mother," Ethan said angrily.

"Yes! Strike them down! They deserve to suffer!" Kronos shouted gleefully.

"You mother is the goddess of balance," Andee said calmly. "Minor gods deserve so much better and we all know that."

"You know nothing about it!" Ethan yelled at Andee. "You're practically worshiped wherever you go!"

"Two of my best friends are children of a minor god and of a grace. They don't have a place at camp. I don't agree with that! It's not right!" Andee said. "But total destruction isn't balance. Kronos doesn't build, he only destroys and that's all he'll ever do."

Ethan's good eye blinked a couple times before he charged Kronos. His blade shattered and Ethan fell back, grasping his stomach because one of the shards of his own blade had ricocheted and pierced his armor.

"They deserved better, if they just...had thrones -"

Kronos stomped his foot and a fissure appeared in the ground, swallowing Ethan and sending him plummeting through the open air underneath the mountain. "So much for him." Kronos lunged at me and the fighting started again. The two of us were kicking up coals and sparks. "When Olympus falls, I'll use Poseidon's throne for kindling."

That made me fight even harder.

Andee stood ramrod straight behind me, muttering under her breath in Ancient Greek. I only caught a few words, but from what I gathered, she was trying to heal Luke's mind enough for Kronos to be pushed back for a few moments.

Kronos put a spell on me, slowing me down so that I felt like I was trying to run through quicksand. Before it had much time to affect me, Andee threw a quick spark at my butt, jolting me back into normal motion.

"You are losing, Percy Jackson. Look," Kronos said, pointing to the hearth. Inside the coals I saw the gods trying to fight Typhon, but it wasn't working well. Typhon stepped into the Hudson River and I prayed, knowing that my plan had to be put into action right now. Like a miracle, a conch horn sounded and a funnel started appearing around the monster. My dad appeared looking like his normal self, which gave me hope.

"NO!" Kronos screamed.

"Now, my brethren! Strike for Olympus!" Poseidon shouted. Hundreds of Cyclops rode in on sharks, dragons and sea horses, all of them led by Tyson. All the Cyclopes had lengths of chains and threw them like lassos to capture Typhon. There were too many chains to break free and Typhon started to get weight down while Poseidon threw his trident at the monster's throat. Golden blood spewed everywhere and water continued to wrap around Typhon like a cocoon, dragging him underwater and into a tunnel designed by my dad to take him straight to Tartarus.

Kronos slashed the coal, really pissed off now.

"They're on their way. You've lost," I said.

"I haven't even started."

Grover leapt in front of me just as Kronos was about to attack, but Kronos tossed him aside like a used rag. Annabeth stepped in this time, trying to get Luke to come out. Andee continued with her healing spell. Kronos informed Annabeth that Luke's body would soon burn away and he'd assume his true form.

Annabeth ignored him, continuing to talk to Luke, telling him that he promised and that he was holding back Kronos. "Family, Luke, you promised."

"Annabeth," he said in his own voice. He stumbled forward like he couldn't control the body anymore. "You're bleeding...my knife."

Annabeth tried to raise her knife but it clattered out of her hand. Her arm was bent at too funny of an angle to be able to hold it. I gave it back to her but stood between them.

"Don't you dare touch her," I growled at him.

"He's changing," Luke said hoarsely. "Help me. He's...he's almost ready. He won't need my body anymore. Please -"

"NO!" Kronos shouted, looking around for his sword but it was lying in the glowing coals. He started crawling towards it but Andee raised a hand and the metal started to metal.

"Oops...did you want that?" Andee asked.

"The knife, Percy. Hero...cursed blade..."

I could tell from the look on Annabeth's face that she understood what he meant. Andee nodded to me, as if to say it was safe.

"Percy, you can't do it. Kronos will break what little control Luke has," Andee said, looking at Luke who nodded.

"Only my hand...I know where...I can...can keep him controlled," Luke said. His skin started to glow and smoke. "Please, no time."

I understood now. My whole point-of-view changed as I gave the knife to Luke. Grover cradled Annabeth and Andee knelt behind me, obviously not sure what to do in this situation.

Luke unlatched the side straps of his armor and exposed a small bit of skin under his left arm. He stabbed the knife into it with difficulty, and even though it wasn't deep, Luke howled in pain. There was an explosion of energy around Luke. His blue eyes opened.

"Good...blade." Grover, Annabeth, and surprisingly enough, Andee, had tears in their eyes. "You knew. I almost killed you, but you knew..."

"Shh. You were a hero at the end, Luke. You'll go to Elysium," Annabeth said.

Luke shook his head. "Think...rebirth. Try for three times. Isles of Blest."

"You always pushed yourself too hard," Annabeth said, giving a watery laugh. She touched his fingertips to hers.

Luke coughed and his lips became red with blood. "Did you ever love me?" He looked at Andee. She shook her head, frowning a little. "Good. I'm sorry for everything."

"I forgave you a long time ago, Luke," Andee said, giving his hand a squeeze.

"I love you, Annabeth. You'll always be my little sister," Luke said.

"I love you too," Annabeth said, tears making lines in the dirt on her face as they fell.

"Maybe we can get some ambrosia or Andee's blood," Grover suggested, desperately grasping at straws.

"You're the bravest satyr I've ever known. But there's no healing this," Luke said, falling into another coughing fit. He grabbed my sleeve. "Ethan, me, all the unclaimed. Don't let it...don't let it happen again."

"I won't. I promise."

Luke passed away a few moments later. Andee sang the same song she had sung for her fallen brother, tears streaming down her face as she closed Luke's eyes. The gods arrived a few minutes later.


	40. Goodbye For Now

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, series, characters, movies, or anything else you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! So sorry I haven't posted anything in a loooong time. I've been really busy working on my novels, learning instruments, volunteering, working and all that jazz. So thank you to all who have been reading and to all who have been reviewing and favoriting, it means the world. And for those of you who follow the story, you know what this chapter being posted means - the first chapter of Drop in the Ocean is up as well! So make sure you head over there, favorite, alert it (so you know whenever there's a new chapter), and leave me a review! It's going to be good!

**Chapter Forty  
Goodbye For Now**

Once someone found a Hermes shroud for Luke's body, the Fates came to took him away, but stopped to show me my entire life. I saw myself in my twenties, standing a wedding altar, middle-aged with little blonde-haired and black-haired children running around, as an old man, and then my tombstone. It sent a shiver down my spine.

I watched Hermes whisper a proper goodbye to his son, and heard him use the word "hero". That was good. At least everyone was starting to realize how huge a sacrifice Luke had made for us in the end.

I thought about the lines of the Great Prophecy and both Rachel and Andee had been right. I wasn't the hero in the end, it had been Luke.

Annabeth was crying while Apollo healed her fully. He then moved to his daughter, giving her a tight hug and whispering something to her. She nodded and gave him a kiss on the cheek before he walked away with his Ray-Bans on.

The hours went by in a blur. The only thing I seemed to remember was the promise I'd made to my mother, so Zeus made the top of the building glow blue for me.

Grover and I helped Andee care for all the wounded, greeting all of our friends who had survived. There was a lot of hugging involved. The Cyclopes helped Thalia up from the statue and she was on crutches, but otherwise unscathed.

The Stolls assured me they didn't loot too much during the war. My parents were fine, and Valkyrie sent word to Andee, letting her know that the baby was taking it's time and probably wouldn't be born for another few days. Mrs. O'Leary got Chiron out of the pile of rubble and back to camp, where we heard he was doing really well considering his injuries. Nico and Hades got a hero's welcome on Olympus for fighting with us. Ares was so proud of Clarisse, ruffling her hair and pounding her on the back as he called her the best warrior he'd ever seen. Hephaestus was a little mad about his throne, but told me it was a pretty bang-up job for the most part. Hera sniffed as she passed Andee and me, and Andee made a rude (and unrepeatable) remark. Dionysus was still wrapped in bandages, and kind of thanked me for Pollux still being alive. I wasn't really sure if it was a real thank you because he loaded quite a few insults in there.

"So many nature spirits died," Grover said sadly, looking around.

"You did such a good job rallying them all and fighting. We'll come back from this - we'll clean up parks, plant some trees, and all of our friends will be reincarnated in a batter world," I told Grover comfortingly.

"I'm so proud to be your friend, Percy," Grover said.

Tyson ran over and gathered me in a bone-crushing hug. "You are not dead! I am not dead either! Yay! We chained Typhon! It was fun!"

I was glad Tyson could be so happy about it. I was even happier that he had survived.

My dad approached me. "I am so proud of you, son. So proud that I can even forgive you for sitting on my throne," my dad said, giving me a hug. It was kind of weird to hug my dad because he had never shown this kind of closeness with me before. I liked it, though. My dad continued to go on and on about how proud he was that I saved Olympus and so on.

Zeus yelled and the council all sat in their thrones. "Are you too proud of your son to join us in council, brother?"

My dad winked at me before going over to his throne. Zeus started a long rambling speech about the bravery of the gods. Andee appeared next to me about halfway through, slipping her hand in mine. I hugged her close, kissing her forehead. We had survived against all odds. We were finally going to get to have normal people dates.

Zeus eventually stopped talking about the gods, even though my dad kept making it clear that without him it would've been impossible to beat Typhon. Then they started calling demigods forward one by one, giving them different gifts. Weapons, titles, all sorts of things.

Artemis stood and spoke for Thalia, telling her how proud she has made her and that all the Hunters who perished will achieve Elysium. Artemis and Hades had a brief argument before he gave in and guaranteed that he'd streamline their applications. Thalia thanked them and stepped back.

Zeus called Tyson forward and appointed him a general in the armies of Olympus for his bravery in the way and for leading the Cyclopes. Now whenever the gods required, he would lead the other Cyclopes into the war. He was also rewarded with a new stick (his weapon of choice). Tyson was ecstatic.

Grover was called up by Dionysus who made the shortest speech of all before appointing him as a member of the Council of the Cloven Elders. Grover fainted, and Dionysus told us to tell him he was no longer an outcast when he woke up. The nature spirits dragged him off.

Athena talked about Annabeth's strength, wits and courage used to defend the city and their seats of power. Since Olympus was trashed, they appointed Annabeth in charge of designing the improvements. Annabeth looked like she was about to go into shock, especially when Athena told her she could design it however she wanted to. Apollo, Aphrodite and Ares all started saying that they needed to have really good statues. So Annabeth was made the official architect of Olympus. Pretty impressive, and I knew that it was one of her wildest dreams coming true.

My dad introduced me saying that a great hero such as me deserved a great reward. Zeus continued, saying I'd be given a gift from the gods, any gift I desired. Zeus seemed to think he knew exactly what I'd ask for and started rambling that they hadn't given this gift to a mortal in many years, but that if I wished it, I would be made immortal and serve as my father's lieutenant for all time.

I was totally confused. I didn't want to be a god. Especially when Ares mentioned that he could smash me into a pulp whenever he wanted. Apollo approved of the gift as well, but I knew why. I looked over at Andee and she was trying very poorly to smile for me.

"No."

"You're turning our generous gift down?"

"I'm really honored and all that, don't get me wrong, but...I've got a lot longer to live. A lot of things to do as a mortal. I would like a gift though, but you have to promise to grant my wish," I said. Andee looked over at me, obviously confused now.

"If it is within our power," Zeus said diplomatically.

"It is. And it's not difficult at all, but you have to swear on the River Styx."

"What? You don't trust us?"

"Someone once told me that you should always get a solemn oath," I said, glancing over at Hades.

"Guilty as charged," Hades said, smiling a little.

"Very well! In the name of the Olympian Council, we swear by the River Styx to grant your reasonable request so long as it is within our power."

I took a deep breath before continuing. "From now on, you have to claim all of your children before they turn thirteen. There was no way Kronos could have risen if there hadn't been so many demigods that felt abandoned by their parents. So no more undetermined children. They all have to be claimed and brought to camp so they can be trained properly and survive. And all of the minor gods deserve amnesty at Camp Half-Blood. No one's children should be ignored. Calypso and the other peaceful Titans should be pardoned too. And Hades shouldn't be left out - they should have a cabin for him at camp. And no more Big Three pact. It never worked, so it would be better if you stopped trying to get rid of powerful demigods."

It took a lot of discussion, but eventually Athena got the others to accept this because it was logical, strategic, and it was almost their downfall. I felt like I was honoring so many demigods' memories this way. It was a way better gift than immortality.

"Andee le Fay," Zeus said. Apollo was standing beside him. Andee took a deep breath and glanced over at me for a few seconds before stepping forward. "A lot has happened to you in these past few weeks. The Council has taken a lot of time to decide whether you shall be rewarded or punished."

I stared at them like they were crazy. Why would they be punishing her? She helped save Olympus! She was on our side! She led the quest to find the key to defeating Kronos! Everyone else was freaking out. No one could wrap their minds around Andee getting punished.

Andee stayed perfectly still, her head bowed.

Apollo cleared his throat and everyone quieted down, still looking outraged. "Years ago, we decided against ending your life because you had gained enough control over your abilities so that you were no longer a threat to the mortals. You have now lost every ounce of that control. Not at your own hand, but it's still lost. You worked for the Titan Lord and fought against your own and against Olympus."

Tears started streaming down her face.

"At the end of the day," Zeus said, "not of this was by your own will but it must be taken into account, nonetheless. Out first thought was to grant you immortality. Control would no longer be an issue and could prevent...other things." Apollo looked over at me. "The Council was against making you an immortal, particular members vouching that you are more valuable to us as a hero." From the looks on the gods' faces, I could tell that even though Zeus and Apollo didn't like me dating their granddaughter and daughter, they didn't want to make her immortal yet. "The next thing thought of was to reward you with the gift of control. Athena and Hephaestus have assured us that the charmed bracelets were made to perfection and that there would never be a chance of malfunction. The Council has agreed that your fatal flaw is control and it will always be an issue, but it is also what keeps you human. So that is out of the question."

Apollo started again. "The Council has agreed to punish you and reward you. Your punishment, for treason and lack of control onset by an outside party, is an eternity wearing the charmed bracelets. They will act as confinements, limiting what you can and cannot do until you learn how to control your abilities, new and old, to the ability you had before the war began. When the day comes that you come before the Council and can prove your control, music like you did when you were ten years old, they may be removed."

Andee nodded, looking into their eyes now. This was unfair. The gods could help her and they weren't. They should be helping her because none of this was her fault.

"Your reward is your life, to be continued in any way you please."

Andee nodded slightly. "Thank you," she said quietly, before stepping back into the crowd. I was just about to rush forward and demand to know what they were thinking. They had been considering killing her? This wasn't her fault!

Andee gripped my hand and squeezed it firmly, turning me to look at her. "Andee, you can't just accept that. You fought just as hard as everyone else here. You shouldn't be punished. They can help your control and that's what they should be doing!"

"No, Percy, you don't get it - I'm happy. I get to stay with my friends and family and you. No immortality and no death. I'm happy with what they gave me, Percy. Having to wear a couple of bracelets? That's nothing compared to what they could have done," Andee said. "I can get the control back. It will be hard, but I know I can do it. I've already done it once before. Besides, I get to live my life 'in any way I please'. That's my dad's and my grandpa's way of giving me their blessing to be with you."

I guess that part was pretty good. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Yes, Percy. My mind is my own again. I still have all my powers and some more I didn't even know about, and I get to be with everyone I love and care about, including you. That is all I want in this world."

All of us demigods left Olympus and went back to camp to start our mourning and packing. Once the main funeral ceremonies were done, we all sat around the campfire, everyone looking really sad. Lee started strumming the guitar in his lap, and Andee started singing. The song was sad, but at the same time, it was hopeful. We could go on. We had to celebrate the lives of everyone who passed, not just mourn. It didn't take long before everyone was up and dancing around the campfire, laughing and crying as remembered everyone we lost.

"Come on," Andee said in the middle of it all, taking me by the hand and leading me down to the beach until the dancing around the campfire seemed miles away. "With everything that's happened today, you forgot something."

"What did I forget?" I asked in confusion.

Andee reached into her bag and pulled out a small white box and handed it to me. "I made this as soon as we got back to camp." I opened the box and found a completely blue cupcake inside with a little candle on top. Andee touched the wick and a small blue flame appeared. "Happy birthday, Percy."

"This is really sweet, thank you," I said as I blew out the candle, put the box down and started taking off the wrapper. "You didn't have to do anything, you know."

"Yes I did. You're my boyfriend and I needed to give you _something_ for your birthday," Andee said. "That's how normal couples work, remember?"

"Oh yeah, I think I remember us saying something about going on normal-person dates," I said and she smiled. "Your birthday's tomorrow, isn't it?"

She cocked her head. "How did you know?"

"You said your mother died when you were born," I said. "And on the plaque at your grandparent's house, it said she died on August 19th."

Andee smiled, obviously happy that I remembered. "You don't have to get me anything though, Perce. We really haven't had the time to remember these kinds of things."

"How about I plan out a day of things for us to do? Just the two of us?" I asked.

"That sounds like a perfect birthday to me," Andee said.

"Although, we may end up in my cabin for most of it," I said jokingly. She gave me a scandalous look before taking the blue cupcake from me and smearing it across my face. "What was that for?"

"For being a goof," Andee said.

"Oh, well in that case, you're going to need a lot of blue icing on your face too," I said. She started backing away as I spread my arms out. "Come give me a birthday kiss!"

"No way," she said before taking off. I chased after her, being careful not to drop the cupcake. She let me catch her and I wrapped my arms around her and started kissing every inch of skin I could reach. She eagerly responded back, which also helped get some of the icing off my face.

Camp ran late that year. We were all so busy getting the new cabins built and getting satyrs set up all over the country to look for and help demigods who didn't know what they were. In this time, Rachel officially took on the role of being the Oracle and gave her first Prophecy not long after the ceremony was finished (Andee was a little jealous, but at the same time, she was relieved she wouldn't have full prophecies anymore).

_Nine half-bloods shall answer the call_

_To storm or fire, the world must fall_

_An oath to keep with a final breath_

_And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death_

Of course we were all freaked out about it. But as Chiron reminded everyone, it might not happen for centuries. The Great Prophecy was first given during World War II, so we may never have to deal with this Prophecy. We hoped at least.

Valkyrie had her baby a few days before school started. She named him Dimitrios, but Andee called him Dimka instead and was informed that she would be on babysitter duty as soon as she got back from camp. Annabeth, Andee and I were all going to start our senior year in New York. We'd all be able to see each other whenever we wanted. We all had brief not-so-goodbyes before we started our next adventure.


	41. Important Author's Note - PLEASE READ!

**PLEASE READ ALL SPARK OF A FIRE FANS!**

Hey everyone! I just wanted to add this little note so that you all know about the sequel to this story - "Drop in the Ocean". Make sure you go check that out, favorite, alert and leave me a little review!


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